June 27, 2013
Mention
Johnson City Press: Marketplace Fairness Act would level playing field for local
small business
By LINDA BOWMAN O’DELL
We’re lucky to live where we do. It’s a great place to raise a family. And it’s a great
place to be in business. Our family has been in the retail jewelry business for 86 years
and three generations.
To stay in business, you have to compete for customers. And we are happy to do that.
But we’d like it to be a fair competition.
For years, online-only retailers have enjoyed a significant competitive advantage over
their local competitors: They don’t have to collect state sales taxes. This means online
retailers can create the illusion of having lower prices than traditional retailers — but it’s
really just an illusion, because you, the purchaser, still owe the tax. This is not only
unfair, it’s bad for local businesses, communities and families.
The Marketplace Fairness Act could set things right.
Online retailers are able to forgo collecting sales tax because of an outdated legal
loophole that predates the Internet. It’s time to bring our laws into the 21st century, and
the Marketplace Fairness Act is a truly common-sense piece of legislation, despite what
some of the misinformation being floated would try to get you to believe. It is not a
federal sales tax. It is not a tax on the Internet. It is not a new state tax. It doesn’t increase
the sales tax rate. In fact, the law stipulates explicitly that states cannot use it to start
taxing goods and services that aren’t already taxed.
All the Marketplace Fairness Act does, really, is give states like Tennessee the ability to
enforce their own laws by requiring online retailers to collect and remit sales taxes that
are already owed
— just like local retailers are required to do. That, and it levels the playing field so the
government is no longer picking winners and losers between online-only and brick-andmortar businesses. If passed into law, it will ensure that all retailers play by the same
rules.
This would have a positive impact on local small businesses like ours, as well as the
communities where they do business. Our businesses are the backbones of our
communities. Right now, a lot of businesses in Johnson City and across the area are
struggling. Not only is the economy sluggish, but they have to face unfair competition
from online retailers who lure customers to their stores with cheaper prices.
Critics of the bill claim that it is against conservative principles and that it will be
burdensome on small businesses. This is all simply false. As I said earlier, sales taxes are
not new or increasing. Customers should be paying them whether the online seller
collects them or not. This just says that Internet-only companies, which already depend
entirely on technology, can use technology to collect and remit the tax like everybody
else.
All this, and a commitment to fairness, is why the bill has the strong support of Sens.
Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, Gov. Bill Haslam, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, and
Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell. They say the income from this bill can help hold
down or reduce other state taxes and helps prevent our ever having to consider an income
tax.
Tennessee’s local stores — and the communities they support — have waited long
enough for a fair marketplace. Fair competition is a good thing. Unfair competition is not.
The Senate has already passed the Marketplace Fairness Act. Congressman Phil Roe
has an opportunity to show real support for our entire community by supporting this act. I
urge him to do the right thing and vote to support our local businesses. Give us a chance
to compete fairly.
Linda Bowman O’Dell is the owner of Bowman Jewelers in Johnson City.
Tennessee News
Johnson City Press: On hold
Johnson City Press: State agency says no to methadone clinic
Kingsport Times News: NSCC on brink of largest capital project in Tennessee
community college history
Johnson City Press: On hold
By BRAD HICKS
Erwin Bureau Chief
bhicks@johnsoncitypress.com ERWIN —
ERWIN — Steps to bring Unicoi County Memorial Hospital into the Mountain States
Health Alliance system were under way prior to Tuesday’s announcement that approval
of the proposed sale of the community hospital is now on hold.
MSHA Senior Vice President of Tennessee Operations Candace Jennings said
Wednesday that since December, MSHA has been working with UCMH under a
management agreement. Through this agreement, MSHA has provided financial
assistance, education and leadership training, and assistance with hospital equipment.
Around six months ago, MSHA began working to bring financial stability to the hospital,
Jennings said. Much of the $2 million line of credit extended to UCMH by MSHA was
used to pay past due vendors’ fees so that UCMH could continue to receive supplies from
these vendors, Jennings said. She also said MSHA teams were brought in to assess
UCMH’s equipment need, and education and training was provided to UCMH’s frontline staff. MSHA has also offered assistance with equipment repair and replacement, as
well as equipment leasing, Jennings said.
Temporary staff members were brought in by MSHA to fill vacant nursing positions at
UCMH and offer some relief to the hospital’s current nurses, Jennings said. She also said
MSHA brought in a consultant to assist UCMH in the implementation of its NextGen
Healthcare computer system. She also said plans were in place to bring special physician
services, such as cardiology and oncology, to Unicoi County.
Jennings said MSHA officials had hoped that closing of the transaction would have
occurred by July 1. Although this is unlikely to occur, Jennings said MSHA will be ready
to make UCMH the 14th hospital in the MSHA system after getting the “green light”
from the attorney general’s office. Until then, the management agreement between
MSHA and UCMH will remain in place, adding that MSHA officials are confident the
matter will be resolved.
“We’re more committed than ever,” Jennings said.
On Tuesday, the UCMH Board of Control announced it had received word from the state
attorney general’s office that the office’s approval of the proposal sale of UMCH to
MSHA had been delayed due to three concerns the attorney general’s office had. A
release from the UMCH Board states that the attorney general’s office wanted the sale to
be approved by both the town of Erwin and Unicoi County, requested that the UCMH
Board hold additional public meetings to discuss its reason for choosing the MSHA
acquisition proposal, and wanted assurance that voluntary contributions totaling $1.5
million to the county and town of Erwin would be used only for health care purposes.
A letter from the attorney general’s office dated Tuesday and sent to attorneys
representing the UCMH Board of Control stated stated that the office had concluded its
preliminary review of documentation provided by the UCMH Board as part of the
acquisition process. The letter stated the office had identified several concerns that would
prevent the office from taking no action on the proposed sale, which would have led to
the transaction’s closing.
According to the letter from the attorney general’s office, these concerns include the
UMCH Board of Control’s failure to comply with provisions of the state’s Open
Meetings Act in its selection of the MSHA proposal, its failure to obtain the approvals of
the town of Erwin and Unicoi County on the sale per the UMCH charter, and concerns
over how the the contributions to the municipalities and an unnamed foundation that were
part of MSHA’s proposal would be spent.
When asked how long these concerns could delay approval and if the issues were
rectifiable, the attorney general’s office stated that it could not respond as it cannot offer
“legal advice” in the hospital matter.
Erwin Town Recorder Randy Trivette said Wednesday that the town of Erwin would
await advisement from the attorneys representing the UCMH Board of Control to
determine what is required of the town.
“Basically, we’re just going to wait until we hear what the attorney general is going to
require of the town of Erwin, and then we’ll evaluate that with the board at a meeting and
move forward from that,” Trivette said. Unicoi County Mayor Greg Lynch said
Wednesday that he felt UCMH is worth more than what would be gained through
MSHA’s acquisition. Like Trivette, Lynch said the county would wait until it has
received more information from the UCMH Board before making any moves.
“We’ll just basically wait for more information from the attorney general and the board
and the county attorney, and then we’ll make some decision at that point,” Lynch said.
On Nov. 28, the UCMH Board of Control voted to approve an acquisition proposal
submitted by MSHA over a proposal submitted by Wellmont Health System. On March
28, the board voted to approve MSHA’s final definitive agreement to acquire UCMH.
The acquisition process must be reviewed by the state attorney general’s office prior to
the acquisition becoming official, according to state law.
The UCMH Board of Control was set to meet in a called session today at 5 p.m. to
consider the sale of Unicoi County Medical Services assets to MSHA, which was to be
followed by the board’s regular meeting at 5:20 p.m. The regular meeting will still be
held, but the called session has been canceled.
UCMH Board of Control Chairman Roland Bailey said Wednesday that he has not
personally spoken with the attorney general’s office, but has spoken with attorneys
representing the UCMH board. He said these attorneys are reviewing the information sent
by the attorney general’s office and will subsequently advise the UCMH Board on its
next steps.
“Once we make that decision, we can put our action plan into effect,” Bailey said.
Johnson City Press: State agency says no to methadone clinic
By REX BARBER
NET News Service Johnson City will not have a methadone clinic any time soon.
Members of the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency denied a
certificate of need filed by Tri-Cities Holdings Inc. earlier this year to locate a methadone
clinic at 4 Wesley Court in a hearing Wednesday in Nashville.
Mark Farber, deputy director at THSDA, said via email Wednesday evening that the
CON was denied.
A representative who answered the phone Wednesday at the THSDA office said there
was a lot of opposition to the CON at the hearing.
Specific details of the hearing were not immediately available Wednesday evening.
Steve Kester, a co-owner of Tri-Cities Holdings, filed the certificate of need for the
clinic in March.
He said his own research indicated about 1,000 people in the Tri-Cities were seeking
treatment for opiate addiction and that the closest locations for these patients to get that
treatment was in Knoxville or Asheville, N.C.
A call to Kester seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Methadone clinics dispense methadone, a schedule II narcotic analgesic, for people
who have abused heroin or other opiates.
A suit was filed on behalf of Tri-Cities Holdings April 19 claiming Johnson City’s
refusal to grant a permit for the clinic to locate at 4 Wesley Court caused financial
damage and forced opiate-addicted residents to travel unnecessary distances to seek
treatment. Johnson City was also violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, the suit
alleged.
U.S. District Court Judge Ronnie Greer dismissed the suit earlier this month,
concluding the plaintiff’s claims were not “ripe for decision” in part because it was
impossible for the court to know whether the harm alleged would ever happen.
The public was able to make arguments for and against the clinic by writing THSDA
and at a public hearing in late May at the Johnson City Public Library.
Many people showed up at that hearing to express opposition to the clinic but so did
those who supported the clinic.
Kester said at that hearing that the clinic would have offered services other than just
opiate treatment.
Shortly after the CON was filed, a resolution opposing the clinic was drafted and
presented at the March meeting of the Washington County Commission.
That resolution was unanimously approved.
Kingsport Times News: NSCC on brink of largest capital project in Tennessee
community college history
By RICK WAGNER
rwagner@timesnews.net BLOUNTVILLE — Northeast State Community College is
about to embark on a historic $35 million construction project.
That is the largest capital project in its history, as well as the history of community
colleges in Tennessee.
Northeast faculty and members of the Northeast Foundation heard an initial design
phase presentation Wednesday afternoon from a Tennessee Board of Regents official,
college President Janice Gilliam and the architect who provided a rendering of what the
new Emerging Technologies Complex might look like.
The project was approved in concept by the TBR in 2008 but only included in the
capital budget in the 2013-14 state budget.
“This is going to be a global model for how to teach technical education,” Gilliam said.
Six potential new programs and at least 15 existing ones eventually are to be housed in
the building.
After the new construction, two of the oldest buildings on campus will be torn down.
Gilliam, Carl Manka, senior director of planning and research in the TBR Office of
Facilities Development, and John Fisher of Fisher and Associates Architects, said the
project is likely three years away from completion: about eight months of detailed design
work after the TBR Building Commission formally approves the project in mid-July,
another two or three months to get bids on the project and award one, and about two
years of construction.
“We’re looking at three years, around that, for completion of the project,” Gilliam told
the group in the school’s auditorium.
Fisher said the real genesis of the project was a 1989 master plan that called for the
relocation of Holston Drive to open up more space for the college, which used to be
landlocked between Holston and Tri-Cities Regional Airport.
Much of the progress and expansion on campus dates back to that, he said.
Of the $35 million, Tennessee will provide $31.5 million and Northeast the other $3.5
million through fundraising and grants.
Gilliam said the Northeast Foundation is actively involved in seeking financial support
from the community and private sector, and the college is seeking 15 grants for the
project.
She said the school also is seeking input on the new project from faculty and donors
and that an announcement about the 10 percent match likely would occur late this year.
Other campus improvements that would be completely dependent on fundraising
include a corner tower “economic development suite” in the building, where economic
developers could meet with national or international prospects; a separate convention hall
arena, a 15,000-square-foot area where graduation and convocation could be held; and a
separate student center.
Gilliam said a motor sports institute is one possibility to be housed at the complex.
Six proposed new programs that could be located there are building construction,
energy specialist, health informatics or digital health records, entertainment technology,
which is to be offered at Northeast State’s new downtown Bristol, Tenn., facility,
horticulture and cybersecurity.
More than 15 other existing programs that may be located there include programs in
office systems administration, business technology and computer science.
The project is nearly double the $20 million Walters State Community College
expansion of Greeneville/Greene County, for which Fisher also is the architect. That
project received $9 million in state funding, with the rest to be from non-state funds.
July 2, 2013
Mention
Kingsport Times News: (Editorial) Disability gravy train not sustainable
The number of Americans riding the disability gravy train is now costing taxpayers
more than food stamps and welfare combined. The Social Security Disability Fund
trustees warned just two years ago that the fund would be out of money by 2018 but they
were wrong. It now appears the fund will be broke in just three years.
Americans were forced by their government to transfer $132 billion in 2011 to those
drawing SSDI, a growing percentage of whom are disability scofflaws taking money to
which they are not entitled, eventually limiting resources for those who indeed have
severe disabilities and cannot work.
More than 14 million Americans receive SSDI payments. Despite that workplace
injuries and illnesses fell from 11 per 100 workers in 1970 to 3.5 in 2010, the percentage
of disabled workers rose from 5 to more than 8 percent, doubling the cost of the program.
It’s even worse with respect to federal workers, according to the Washington Examiner.
It found that the program for federal workers, FECA, pays 75 percent of wages for most
recipients, all of it tax free. Since federal retirement pays only 60 percent of wages, which
is taxed, federal workers are lining up to get tickets for the gravy train; the U.S. Postal
Service tops the list of federal disability claims at 40 percent.
One of the problems is how the law defines disability: a mental or physical problem
that does not prevent, but merely hinders a claimant’s ability to work. For instance, some
1.3 million now get a disability check for “mood disorders.” One may qualify for such by
presenting medical evidence of at least four of these persistent symptoms: loss of interest
in almost all activities, appetite disturbance with change in weight, sleep disturbance,
psychomotor agitation, decreased energy, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, difficulty
concentrating or thinking, thoughts of suicide, or hallucinations or paranoid thinking.
It’s not medically possible to confirm most of these mood disorders beyond any doubt,
any more than to disprove beyond all doubt that someone suffers chronic back pain —
which for years has been used by many to start getting a check. Most disabilities are now
based on mental illnesses or musculoskeletal afflictions, and while such claims require a
doctor’s certification, too many physicians certify alleged disabilities upon request.
There are no quick answers how to fix this problem but even if there were, that’s no
guarantee Congress would do so. Certainly, the rules need to be tightened, claims more
closely examined, and those already receiving payments more closely monitored as to
whether their conditions have improved.
In 2011, on average, one net person was added to SSDI for every five new jobs created.
That is not sustainable.
Re-elected last year, Sen. Bob Corker has opportunity for redemption before he next
faces voters in 2018. Not so Sen. Lamar Alexander, who is up next year and may face a
primary fight after he and Corker joined 12 other Republicans in carrying water for the
Democrats’ immigration bill.
But it won’t be much of a fight — if there is one. Alexander has been banking cash for
his 2014 campaign and has more than $1 million on hand and has snagged endorsements
from all top state Republicans. There’s simply no one left with any possibility of beating
him.
His 2014 campaign team includes the leaders of the conservative and moderate wings
of the party with Rep. John Duncan Jr. of Knoxville as chairman and honorary chairmen
including Gov. Bill Haslam, Sen. Corker, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, House Speaker Beth
Harwell and all of the state’s Republican congressmen except Rep. Scott DesJarlais, who
has personal issues.
Someone might come out of the woods, perhaps a Tea Party candidate, but the only
mention of a challenger is a wrestling entertainer who goes by the name Kane. And that
would more of a comedy than a campaign.
Alexander is a safe bet for re-election, despite that his moderate views are often out of
touch with Tennesseans, particularly on the abomination that was passed as immigration
reform, a bill which approaches Obamacare as one of the worst pieces of legislation to
have passed the U.S. Senate.
Tennessee News
Claiborne Progress: Claiborne County man receives Bronze Star
Johnson City Press: Grants create discovery culture at ETSU
Johnson City Press: Immigration among hot-button topics at Town Hall
Kingsport Times News: Bare bones
Claiborne Progress: Claiborne County man receives Bronze Star
A day in the life of an Air Force jet maintainer reached Mach speed while deployed
overseas, earning him the Bronze Star Medal.
Senior Master Sgt. Jamie Jordan, 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron assistant
superintendent, was awarded the honor during an official ceremony at his unit June 4.
“A lot of people sacrificed more than I did,” said Jordan who was a part of a team of
military members from a variety of backgrounds that became “family” during the
deployment.
From March 2012 to February 2013, Jordan generated more than 8,000 combat missions
and the collection of 250,000 intelligence images supporting U.S. Central Command
combat operations in the Horn of Africa. Missions he played a major supporting role in
varied; offload 344 million pounds of fuel to 30,000 coalition aircraft, support 2,100
troops in contact events, execute 500 strike missions against Al Qaeda insurgents and
beddown of one million net explosive weight pounds of combat-ready munitions.
“This is not something that is awarded to everyone,” said Lt. Col. Maurice Lee, 33rd
AMXS commander, who explained how medal packages from deployed theatre
operations are scrutinized highly. “Jamie’s recognition transcends time. Not every
commander gets the privilege to award the Bronze Star.”
According to the history of the military tradition, the decoration was designed as an
equivalent to an Air Medal for ground units who are the backbone of the flying
operations, he said.
Jordan was also recognized by his unit for being there to set up their shop at the 33rd
Fighter Wing.
“He was one of the very first in the squadron, hand-picked to stand up F-35
maintenance,” said Lee.
This included preparing hangar space, scheduling tasks and training Airmen which he
will continue to do a few more years.
“We learned as we went and now we are helping other bases learn so they can be ready
for this jet as well,” said Jordan who has an extensive background in F-16 avionics,
something that makes one “seasoned” in a platform.
The newness of the F-35 means there are no “seasoned” maintainers for the fifth
generation aircraft, so his crew is it for the Air Force.
Similarly, while deployed, Jordan watched his overseas unit grow to 1,400 personnel
from more than eight platforms. It supported a “composite wing” of approximately 100
aircraft charged with a variety of missions like refueling, reconnaissance, fighter plus
supporting command and control.
“As with other weapons’ platforms, we have setbacks but we stay with it and learn every
day,” said Jordan.
Managing the second largest munitions storage capability in the area of responsibility
overseas added to his deployed responsibilities of supporting a variety of daily air
tasking.
“Our biggest challenge was resource management,” said Jordan. “The wing grew nearly
250 percent in the first three months of my deployment. The growth of resources lagged
compared to personnel and aircraft growth. To meet mission requirements, units had to
think outside standard ops — we shared everything from personnel, to support
equipment, to aircraft parking spaces.”
Throughout his career he credits his parents for the foundation of strength and
perseverance. While deployed, he leaned on encouraging leadership for support.
Jordan graduated from Middlesboro High School and entered the Air Force at age 19. His
parents are Eddie and Angela Jordan of Harrogate.
Jordan’s parents were present for the ceremony along with his brother and other guests.
In honor of their support, the squadron gave them appreciation gifts as well.
“For him to serve as a group superintendent there was at a level higher than he was here,”
said Lee. “It is an awesome accomplishment for him to be chosen — a tremendous
opportunity for someone like Jamie.”
Johnson City Press: Grants create discovery culture at ETSU
By REX BARBER
Assistant News Editor
rbarber@johnsoncitypress.com A culture of research and discovery is maintained at
East Tennessee State University via internal grants intended to foster faculty projects.
Dr. David Hurley, a professor in the department of pharmaceutical sciences, said each
year about $185,000 in grants from the school’s Office of Research and Sponsored
Programs Administration is awarded to faculty who have new ideas for research or to
professors who need a little extra funding until the next big national grant comes around.
ETSU’s research development committee is responsible for doling out these grants.
Hurley described the committee as vibrant and comprised of 20 standing members.
Others participate, but every award recipient becomes a temporary member for a year.
“You have to pay it forward, so once you get your money you have to be involved and
keep everybody else interested,” Hurley said. “The point here is that we have this internal
funding that helps people collect data or maintain research projects to remain
competitive. And that’s terribly important for a lot of these (researchers), because the
competition is getting harder and harder.”
Research dollars come from many sources, often from national organizations like the
National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the National
Endowment for the Humanities.
Sequestration, which has seen budgets cut in various government agencies, has made
research money a premium commodity, and some researchers must wait longer between
grants.
That’s where the research development committee grants come in handy.
Using these ETSU research grants, new professors can begin research while established
professors with projects already going can maintain those projects until the next NIH or
NSF grant comes along.
Many ETSU professors are using such grants.
For instance, the National Endowment for the Humanities has funded one ETSU
professor’s research in Mongolia where he is studying archeology. Others are studying
diabetes, public health, behavioral studies, photography and much more funded through
various organizational grants. But many are helped along by the ETSU research
development committee. A grant was awarded this past year from the committee to help
make a movie about bluegrass fans in Czechoslovakia. “We have a lot of diverse interests
and that’s what keeps the interest for research and the appetite for research growing,”
Hurley said.
Other schools do this same kind of funding but Hurley said at ETSU the goal is to fund
as many varied research projects as possible.
“We’re trying to maintain the breadths of the programs,” he said.
Hurley said research is important because it leads to discoveries and information that no
one knew before.
“To find out a new piece of knowledge and add to the information we have is always
something that’s very exciting to people,” he said.
Professors doing research often have students who help or work for them, so these
grants have the added benefit of encouraging new researchers.
Faculty members receiving RDC grants for the 2013-14 year included members of the
colleges of Arts and Sciences, Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences, Public Health,
the Clemmer College of Education, and the Quillen College of Medicine.
The recipients are Drs. Michelle Duffourc, Audra Gray, Joshua Greer, Theresa
Harrison, Jameson Hirsch, Huili Hong, Karl Joplin, Michael Kruppa, Dihendra Kumar,
Guangyu Li, Chris Liu, Leslie McCallister, Hua Mei, Paul Monaco, Phillip Musich,
Chaya Nanjundeswaran, Matthew Palmatier, Chris Pritchett and Jill Stinson.
Johnson City Press: Immigration among hot-button topics at Town Hall
By JENNIFER SPROUSE
Press Staff Writer
jsprouse@johnsoncitypress.com There were a variety of government-related hot
topics discussed at Monday night’s town hall meeting with U.S. Rep. Phil Roe in
Jonesborough, but the auditorium inside the International Storytelling Center perked up
considerably when it came to issues like immigration, veterans and veterans benefits and
the Defense of Marriage Act.
The meeting, which started at 6, opened with a brief overview of items, including
Social Security, energy and the U.S. immigration policy, before questions written by
audience members prior to the start of the meeting were read aloud for Roe to answer.
Roe’s first question was immigration-related. He was asked how illegal immigrants get
Social Security numbers now and why are they honored.
Before Roe could answer, a man in the audience spoke up and said he refused to be
called “illegal,” which prompted applause from a few, as well as clear opposition from
some in attendance.
After identifying what’s considered legal and illegal with immigration, Roe spoke on
border control and said that “the law states that you have to meet certain metrics to come
into a country. When you come into the country and break the law, it’s either legal or
illegal, so you would be an illegal resident. You have to have some control of your
borders, and I can tell you, there is no country in the world that allows immigration like
we do. None.”
Backtracking to the original question, Roe said Social Security cards can be
counterfeited and that it is happening in the country. He then added that the E-Verify
system, an Internet-based system that allows businesses to find out the eligibility of their
employees to work in the U.S., would help prevent that from happening.
When asked about whether or not there would be any funding in the new immigration
bill for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement department, Roe said he had not
viewed the Senate bill enough and said there were many unnecessary items in the bills.
“It just passed Friday. It’s a 1,200-page bill. We need to do these bills in pieces where
people can understand,” he said. “We do need a system where people can come (to the
country legally). We need to make that simpler and easier to do. The other thing you
can’t do is you can’t allow people who came here illegally to step in front of the line of
people who came legally.”
A woman in the audience, a newly authorized U.S. citizen, spoke on issues of cost to
become a U.S. citizen and said she did not like the term “illegal” being used to classify
immigrants coming into the country.
Heated discussion about legal and illegal continued to ignite the crowd before
switching to veterans and their benefits.
Roe first asked veterans in the audience to stand to be recognized for their service,
before discussing the three things he said when taking his office that he would never
apologize for spending money on, which included two things related to veterans.
“No. 1, if you’re a solider in harm’s way, you’re fighting a battle, I want you to have
everything you possibly need to protect yourself and your buddies. I don’t care where
you are. I’ve been to Afghanistan and seen ... (the) remarkable job those men and women
are doing under horrific conditions,” he said.
He said the second thing he would never apologize for spending money on would be
the wounded warriors who return home injured from combat.
A wounded veteran in the audience stood up and gave those in attendance figures
related to digital medical records for veterans and the reality of an estimated more than
900,000 veterans who are waiting on decisions regarding claims.
Roe, after commenting on the issue, said he intends to stay on the Veterans’ Affairs
Committee as long as he’s in Congress.
He also spoke briefly on the ruling from the Supreme Court on the Defense of Marriage
Act.
“The Supreme Court really did what I, personally, thought should have been to start. I
think it should have been a state issue,” Roe said. “Marriage is a state issue, and what the
Supreme Court did is they kicked it back down to the states and said in Tennessee, where
we have defined marriage as between one man and one woman, that’s the law of the land
here.”
He also addressed issues regarding debt, including national and student loan debt, and
said simply that as a country we have to get debt under control and said it was unfair to
leave younger generations to pay for the debt.
Kingsport Times News: Bare bones
By RICK WAGNER
rwagner@timesnews.net BLOUNTVILLE — Sullivan County’s school board
passed a balanced $86,991,947 2013-14 budget Monday night.
It is $3,019,463 less than the amended 2012-13 budget and, assuming approval by the
county commission, would require no additional county revenue — no property tax
increase — beyond what is already projected from education’s current share of the
property tax rate and other tax revenues.
“We met the challenge that was put before us,” BOE Chairman Dan Wells said of a
budget that initially was about $4.5 million out of balance. It passed 6-1.
The budget includes no cost-of-living raise for any employees, with $300,000 in
Tennessee funds for that to be held over until the 2014-15 school year, when by state
mandate they must be used for differentiated pay other than years of service or
educational attainment.
However, additional pay for step increases and advanced degrees are funded and will
remain, something officials said wasn’t clear from a Saturday work session.
Another issue clarified was that all custodians and maintenance employees will have
their hours cut from 40 a week to 36.25, not just the maintenance employees as had been
suggested Saturday.
Director of Schools Jubal Yennie and Board of Education members thanked finance
director Leslie Bonner for her work on the budget, which underwent BOE work session
scrutiny Saturday but shifted before the approval Monday night.
One change is that the budget requires only $1.8 million in fund balance or
undesignated reserves instead of an originally estimated $2 million.
The $2 million bordered on not meeting a Tennessee recommendation that governments
keep 3 percent of their budgets in unallocated fund balance in case of emergencies and
unexpected expenses.
The cuts represent $2.7 million less in expenditures since the June 3 draft budget,
Bonner said.
The spending plan includes cuts from central office down to individual schools.
At the central office, a reorganization uses a series of shifts of duties to absorb the
duties of human resources supervisor Larry Hall, who is retiring. Three other positions
were cut from central office, a secretarial position going to a federal program, a
communications/virtual learning/administrative position in which the person is going
back to teaching, and a data facilitator position cut due to reduced federal funding.
Among other cuts since the June 3 draft were elimination of 24 non-tenured teachers
and two tenured ones, as well as cutting 33 part-time instructional aides, the latter at a
savings of $250,000.
Substitute teacher allocations were cut because professional development is being
rescheduled to be outside the regular school days.
A new low-cost, low-benefit health insurance option will save an estimated $250,000,
while charging employees more for a health insurance increase saves more than
$300,000, and textbooks were cut from $600,000 to $200,000. Two vocational positions
cut at Sullivan South High School saved $122,000.
Principal incentive bonuses were cut from $75,000 to $$45,000, while cutting out
behind-the-wheel drivers education will save $140,000.
All told, general purpose regular education funding directly tied to the classroom was
down $1.5 million.
In the regular education indirect budget, the central office changes alone saved about
$150,000, and decreased professional development and school level libraries also were
cut.
Savings in the office of the superintendent were $150,000, while those in the office of
the principal were $115,000 and financial services saw a slight decrease of $8,870.
Human resources was up $27,000 but only because the assistant superintendent
assigned those duties was already paid more than the former HR person, who had heart
surgery and is taking sick days before his official retirement begins.
The cut of custodian hours will save $232,000 and the cut of maintenance hours will
save $277,000, while transportation costs for Innovation Academy were cut $35,000.
Food services had no change and is self-supporting, and other areas had no change
except a $131,000 drop from debt refinancing and a decrease in the transfer to IA.
Todd Broughton said he cast the lone no vote on the budget because Yennie told him
last year the principal bonuses were funded from Race to the Top but said Monday night
they were funded for 2012-13 and 2011-12 with local money.
The board also approved a 2013-14 renovation fund budget of $1,065,000.
The proposal went before the Administrative Committee after the BOE meeting, and
will go before the Executive Committee tonight and the Budget Committee July 11.
“I don’t know if the county commission is ready for this budget yet, but we are,”
Yennie said.
In addition, Yennie said the budget for Innovation Academy of Northeast Tennessee
includes a Project Lead the Way teaching position to be funded from a federal Race to the
Top grant instead of funding from the city of Kingsport, which jointly operates the
science, technology, engineering and math school.
In other action, the BOE approved a paid pre-K program, costing $500 or $590 per
week, at Miller Perry, Rock Springs and Central Heights elementary schools if there is
enough demand.
The board also heard but took no action on a proposal for a telemedicine program,
where students would receive health care from a nurse practitioner, existing school nurses
and other medical professionals via a computer link. The program is called Integrate MD
and would come at no cost to the school system and use health insurance coverage for
funding.
July 9, 2013
Mention
Johnson City Press: Immigration (letter)
I can’t believe Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander voted to reward and legitimize
those who entered our country illegally. Our senators failed to connect some dots and
their votes will create higher unemployment and raise state taxes to cover alien health
care.
Under Obamacare, businesses with more than 50 workers that employ American
citizens, with no qualifying health insurance, would be subject to pay almost $3,000 in
fines per worker.
Note the emphasis on American citizens. Soon-to-be-legalized immigrants wouldn’t be
considered American citizens, and thus not eligible to receive subsidies under Obamacare
until they earn their citizenship 13 years later. Under the Senate bill, businesses can
bypass fines and instead pass health care burdens on to Tennessee taxpayers.
Employers can simply hire soon-to-be-legal immigrants, even from surrounding states,
and replace American workers for the next 13 years and not have to pay $3,000. Also,
this 1,100-page bill states that employers will be given an additional $3,000 for each
soon-to-be legalized immigrant they hire. Hiring Americans would disqualify an
employer from getting the added incentive. Only amnesty immigrants need qualify.
So these Republican senators voted for larger government, spending more and giving
incentives to hire future amnesty illegal immigrants over American workers.
CHARLES THOMSON
Jonesborough
Tennessee News
Kingsport Times News: Airport officials want Wilson to return to old job
Kingsport Times News: Airport officials want Wilson to return to old job
By HANK HAYES
hhayes@timesnews.net BLOUNTVILLE — Tri-Cities Regional Airport wants to
bring back Patrick Wilson as the airport’s executive director.
Airport Authority commissioners on a search committee directed TCRA Authority
Chairman James Rector on Monday to negotiate with Wilson, who left earlier this year to
take a deputy director’s position at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The Airport Authority Commission is scheduled to consider Wilson’s re-employment at
a July 25 called meeting.
“(Wilson) could return to work if the full commission would empower him no later
than September 1 and probably before at the same salary (about $139,000) and benefits
when he left,” Rector, who represents Bristol, Va., told the search committee.
Florida-based ADK Executive Search, which recruited Wilson for the North Carolina
job, had been hired by the TCRA Authority to find replacement candidates.
Interim TCRA Executive Director David Jones, who has served the airport as director
of operations, had taken himself out of the running for the full-time leadership post.
Rector canceled interviews with three unidentified finalists for the executive director’s
position after being contacted by Wilson.
Authority Commissioner Ken Maness of Kingsport, who served as chairman under the
former Airport Commission governing structure, called Wilson “one of the best public
servants” he’s ever dealt with.
“He deals well with people above him and below him,” Maness said of Wilson. “He
deals with staff well. He deals with the community well. He’s just a great package. ... I
suspected we would have difficulty finding someone to replace Patrick who would be as
good as Patrick.”
The other executive director finalist candidates, Maness added, appeared “unproven”
and warned TCRA might be “running the risk of them not having all the right stuff.”
Authority Commissioner Frank Anderson of Johnson City also expressed
disappointment with the finalists, but noted he could not support Wilson returning at his
old salary in his first year of re-employment.
“It’s not that we’re trying to punish him ... and I think he would be the first to tell you
he made a mistake,” Anderson said of Wilson. “He’s not happy in the position he’s in
now. ... We went to a lot of expense — $35,000 — to engage a search firm.”
Maness responded: “If we recognize he’s better suited for the job than any of the other
applicants, I think it would be a bad sign to suggest we pay him less ... than what we were
paying him before. ... My interest is recruiting Patrick to come back, not just giving him a
chance to come back.”
Authority Commissioner Joe Wilson of Washington County said he “sort of felt like”
Anderson.
“I do not believe Patrick used us as a stepping stone ... to go over there and come
back,” Wilson told the committee.
“He thought he was going to be happy ... (but) he thinks the Tri-Cities area is a better
place to raise his family.” ion,” Sorah said.
Airport tenant Rod Monroe In the end, Rector was authosuggested TCRA needs a
leader rized to be the point man on with fresh ideas. bringing Wilson back, although
“The number of passengers the committee agreed he won’t be (using TCRA) is down,”
said Mon- eligible for a two percent merit roe, who runs a ground trans- pay increase
given to TCRA emportation business. ployees this year.
Authority Commissioner Bill Wilson has more than 20 years Sorah of Bristol, Tenn.,
backed of management experience in the Maness. airport industry, including the
“I would not cut (Wilson’s) last eight years as TCRA execusalary to bring him back. ...
I tive director.
wouldn’t worry too much about For more about TCRA go to the $35,000. ... It’s just
my opin- w w w. t r i f l i g h t . c o m .
July 10, 2013
Tennessee News
Claiborne Progress: LMU approved for new veterinary medical school
Claiborne Progress: LMU approved for new veterinary medical school
Lincoln Memorial University’s emerging College of Veterinary Medicine (LMU-CVM)
has cleared the first step in the accreditation process with a Letter of Reasonable
Assurance from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education
(COE). LMU-CVM is now recruiting students for the inaugural class, which will begin
its veterinary medical education in Fall 2014.
“The approval from the COE to open a new school of veterinary medicine in Harrogate,
Tenn., will propel this University to even greater heights and establish LMU as a leader
in professional studies for the region,” said LMU Board of Trustees Chairman Autry
O.V. “Pete” DeBusk.
LMU announced in 2011 that it was pursuing a College of Veterinary Medicine. In that
year, the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC), which
consisted of over 400 stakeholders in veterinary education representing academia,
accreditation and testing/licensure, released a report that provided a roadmap for
veterinary education. The Five Strategic Goals in this NAVMEC report served as the
guiding light for creation of the LMU-CVM’s hybrid distributive model for delivery of
veterinary education.
The emerging LMU-CVM will be an integral part of the LMU Division of Health
Sciences, which includes LMU-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Physician
Assistant Program, the Caylor School of Nursing and the School of Allied Health
Sciences, which includes a Veterinary Medical Technology Program. As such, in addition
to its veterinary faculty and facilities the emerging College will share resources available
to the other disciplines within the Division.
“We have assembled an exemplary team of professionals to develop this program.” LMU
President B. James Dawson said. “The CVM will build upon LMU’s well-established
allied health science programs in providing much-needed veterinary services to this
region. LMU-CVM will be an exciting veterinary medical education program that
graduates confident, career-ready veterinarians.”
Lincoln Memorial University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is located on the LMU
main campus in Harrogate, with additional academic facilities in nearby Lee County, Va.
LMU-CVM is an integral part of the University’s Division of Health Sciences and
provides real-world, community-based education in a collaborative learning environment.
For more information about LMU-CVM, call 1-800-325-0900, ext. 7150 or visit us
online at www.lmunet.edu/cvm.
July 11, 2013
Tennessee News
Johnson City Press: Downtown mattress company could bring up to 50 new jobs
Johnson City Press: ETSU football stadium on ‘fast track’
Johnson City Press: Google Glass puts ETSU med school at forefront of technology
Johnson City Press: Downtown mattress company could bring up to 50 new jobs
By JENNIFER SPROUSE
Press Staff Writer
jsprouse@johnsoncitypress.com Bill Bradley’s mattress company, BedInABox.com , may be moving into a smaller building, but the perks of its new location in downtown
Johnson City — including job creation and reducing company costs — is worth the
move.
BedInABox.com , known for shipping high quality memory foam mattresses to
customers across the U.S. and in Canada for approximately six years, relocated in midMay from Piney Flats Industrial Park to 220 E. Millard St.
Bradley, owner of Bradley’s Machine and Welding on Water Street since 1976, said his
involvement with the company began after a former partner came to him to build a
machine that would compress the company’s variety of memory foams enough to put it
into a box for shipping.
“We started our business in January of 2007. We first started our business in Johnson
City and we outgrew the small building that we were in and moved to Piney Flats into a
150,000-square-foot building,” he said. “We eventually sold that building and this
building was available. It had high visibility from the interstate, which we were interested
in. It reduced the cost of building coming here, because I was in a building that was twice
(as large) than we needed. I have a machine shop just across the street from this building
and that has been a really good thing for me, because I’m right here at both of my
businesses.”
Bradley said a lot of modifications have been done to the building that was once a
Giant Foods warehouse, including removing fencing inside, fixing the flooring, putting in
a sprinkler system, putting in a lighting and power system to meet city codes and placing
signage that could be seen from Interstate 26.
“We actually, in order to put the signage that we wanted where we wanted it, we had to
change the address of the building. It (the building) was originally 119 King St. and ... we
had no access to King Street,” he said. “We were on Millard Street ... so the city changed
the address to 220 E. Millard St.”
Bradley, who said the company has had a steady growth of around 35 percent so far this
year, said he hopes the new location will bring around 25 to 50 new jobs to the downtown
Johnson City area soon.
“Some (of the new jobs) ...would be actually packaging, but many of them are in the
sales force and in the IT department. We’re growing more and more that way,” he said.
“We want to talk with every person that puts in an order, whether they put it in
themselves or not, we’d contact them and talk with them personally. They will be good,
high-paying jobs.”
According to a news release, BedInABox.com , focuses on Internet sales and does
approximately 90 percent of its business online, which Bradley said they intend to
continue doing, as well as expand retail options for local customers to come in and test
out the mattresses in their showroom.
“I feel fortunate being in Johnson City. Great town,” he said. “(I’ve) been in business
here for a long time. My family is from here and so we just love it.”
Mitch Miller, interim CEO for the Washington County Economic Development
Council, said Bradley’s company moving downtown will have many positive impacts.
“It’s just great to see private investment like that happen in downtown. That’s really
important,” Miller said. “It’s a great impact, so it’s a big effect on what happens down
there. What’s really important for downtown to be successful, is you have to have public
and private investment. Seeing folks make the commitment to do the private side
investment only is going to generate even more opportunities for other folks to come in
and be part of the progress of making downtown better. It’s a great example of
innovation. I’m just glad he chose downtown Johnson City.”
Johnson City Press: ETSU football stadium on ‘fast track’
By REX BARBER
Assistant News Editor
rbarber@johnsoncitypress.com A proposal for a new $18 million East Tennessee
State University football stadium will likely be approved today by the State Building
Commission, according to Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey.
Ramsey heads the commission and said Wednesday that the stadium has been put on
“the fast track.”
Members of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the governing body of ETSU, approved
earlier this year the university imposing a $125 athletic fee each semester for students to
help fund a new football program. This fee was approved by the university’s Student
Government Association in January.
Student fees will pay for around $7 million of the stadium’s cost and Ramsey said the
state would pay around $11 million.
ETSU fielded a football team until the end of the 2003 season, when the football
program was canceled due to financial reasons.
After the fee was approved by TBR, ETSU moved quickly, hiring Carl Torbush as head
coach just weeks ago.
Ramsey said there may be one year the new ETSU football team does not play in the
new stadium but he would like for the team to be able to play there by 2015, which has
been the earliest estimate for the university to field players.
The State Building Commission must approve any state building projects.
Ramsey said today’s agenda is extremely full, which is common for July meetings
because new budgets take effect July 1 each year. Because the agenda is so full, it was
suggested the ETSU stadium be delayed for consideration until next month.
But Ramsey, being head of the commission, the lieutenant governor and an ETSU
graduate, said it would remain on this month’s agenda.
“And so I’ll push it as hard as I can and hopefully we’re going to have the design in
place and know exactly how much funding we need by the time we approve the budget
next year,” he said.” That’s very aggressive and very optimistic , but I’m going to try my
best to make sure that is the case.”
He expects the proposal to pass unanimously.
“We won’t have any problem,” he said. “I’ve kind of greased the skids and talked to
people on the Building Commission and they know where I am on this.”
While no plans have yet been developed, Ramsey said the stadium would seat between
10,000 to 12,000 spectators.
“And I want something nice, you know, with some brick and steel ... so it looks nice,”
he said. “Not aluminum bleachers, that’s not what I want. And I want to make sure if we
can that it’ll be on campus.”
If approved today, the process of selecting a designer for the stadium, and a firm to
select a location and the securing of needed funds can begin.
The $18 million price is an estimate based on other recentlybuilt stadiums of roughly
the same seating capacity.
“That’s where we’ll be shooting to stay within that figure,” Ramsey said.
The sites that have been discussed for an on-campus stadium include the following:
› The school parking area located roughly behind Knight’s Sports Bar on West State of
Franklin Road.
› The parking lot between Warf-Pickel Hall and the parking garage that is being built,
where the tennis courts used to be.
› A location out near the soccer fields on the west end of campus, where flooding is a
concern.
› Land where the facilities plant is now located on the southwest section of campus,
though that plan would require the removal and relocation of the facilities building.
› A location near Buccaneer Ridge Apartments but does not have much room for
parking.
Johnson City Press: Google Glass puts ETSU med school at forefront of technology
By REX BARBER
Assistant News Editor
rbarber@johnsoncitypress.com “OK, Glass, record video,” Dr. Martin Olsen said,
and suddenly video of the patient he was staring at was transmitted to a nearby tablet
computer for all to see.
Another simple command to the Google Glass device on his head, “Take a picture,”
and a still image of the patient was obtained. All he had to do was look at her.
“This device has significant medical applications,” said Olsen, who is residency
program director for obstetrics and gynecology at East Tennessee State University’s
College of Medicine.
Google Glass is a wearable computer with an optical, head-mounted display that Olsen
demonstrated Wednesday morning.
“As far as I know, there are just a very few medical schools that have this, so I would
say we are on the forefront of technology,” Olsen said.
He entered a contest by Google for “explorers” and was selected as one of 8,000 people
who would get to test the device, which probably will not be available for purchase to the
public until some time next year.
He flew to New York about a month ago to buy his.
Olsen said he was selected because of his academic work in simulation surgery at the
College of Medicine.
“I think the education of the future is more learner driven, where the learners evaluate
themselves,” he said. “They can put these on, they can do a simulated procedure, they can
see how they did, they can make their own judgement how they can improve.”
The patient with which he demonstrated the device Wednesday was Chloe, a full-body
surgical simulator developed by ETSU professors to help instruct students and residents
on how to conduct medical procedures.
In the time he has had the device, it has been used to help teach his students as they
work on Chloe.
Google Glass was placed on Chloe’s head and ordered to record the students as they
operated on her.
After students did a procedure on Chloe, the video was replayed with the students’
being able to watch from Chloe’s (or the patient’s) point of view.
Amber Mullins, a second-year medical resident in OBGYN, was one of those students.
“It was interesting,” she said. “Afterwards, we were able to see how we acted during
the scenario. We were able to see if we had good eye contact, if we had weird
mannerisms that we didn’t really know that we had.
“It was helpful just in seeing how we interacted with the patient.”
Olsen used Google Glass to examine his own debrief of residents after a procedure and
realized he needed to stop talking so much and let the residents speak more.
“It really does make a difference to see yourself and evaluate from your own eyes how
you could be better,” Olsen said.
But Olsen predicted Google Glass said this could help save lives if used by medical
professionals.
An example Olsen gave involved emergency medical technicians treating a patient with
severe injuries from a car crash. Wearing Google Glass, the EMT could provide
treatment and transmit real time data back to emergency room doctors on the ride to the
hospital. Doctors seeing the injuries could offer advice to the EMT and also prep to
receive the patient as soon as he or she arrives.
The devices could also record medical procedures and save them for doctors to review
later. This would be particularly useful in a situation where various doctors were
monitoring an infection.
Another possible utilization is in telemedicine. Doctors could instantly and easily see
what another doctor is seeing across the globe and offer advice accordingly.
There is no requirement to report the results of using Google Glass, but a group of
about 200 medical “explorers” who also got a device communicate with each other about
their experiences with the new technology. Other groups of “explorers” include educators
and Tennesseans.
Asked if he thought everyone would one day be using Google Glass, Olsen said he was
not sure, but the implications of communicating this way are many.
“I don’t know that we’ll all be wearing them, but I think in medicine it’s going to be the
wave of the future,” he said.
July 15, 2013
Tennessee News
Johnson City Press: Local soldier has no complaints despite losing leg in
Afghanistan
Johnson City Press: UCMH board to weigh hospital proposals again
Johnson City Press: Several projects approved by State Building Commission
Johnson City Press: Local soldier has no complaints despite losing leg in
Afghanistan
By KAYLA CARTER
Press Staff Writer
kcarter@johnsoncitypress.com He knew the risk and he’s not complaining.
Sgt. Josh Hall, 23, stationed with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., said
overall he has gained more than he lost while serving his country during his second tour
of duty in Afghanistan.
In a series of events that took place before a nearly fatal encounter with an explosive on
July 31, Hall described a twohour firefight, which led to missiles and mortars being
dropped.
The battle resulted in a few casualties for the opposition, he said.
“They asked us to go out there and do what’s called a battle damage assessment to see
what kind of damage we did,” Hall said. “I volunteered to go.”
While he was inspecting the safety of a wood line about 200 meters from camp, Hall
said he scaled a 9-foot wall and unknown to him on the other side was an IED.
“I left my guys back a little ways and went up by myself to check it out,” Hall said. “As
I jumped off the wall, I saw it. It was barely sticking out of the ground. I tried to push
away from the wall to get over it, but my left heel caught it and it blew me back 20 feet
the other way.”
The IED, Hall said, was made with carbon rods, which kept it hidden from metal
detectors. He said he waited about 43 minutes before he was able to be airlifted out for
medical attention.
“We were so deep in there that we had to climb eight or 10 different walls just to get
back to where the helicopter would land,” Hall said. “I was awake the whole time.”
He was first taken to Germany for medical attention and on Aug. 5 made it to Walter
Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md. where family was able to provide
him with support while he recovered from the loss of his left leg and other painful
injuries.
“I’ve had a lot of support through everything,” Hall said. “They have been there
through all of it.”
His father, Roger Hall, has even moved to Maryland to help him through the healing
process.
“When he came out of the coma, the first thing he said, he asked if his guys were
alright,” Roger Hall said. “Then he said, ‘When do I get to go back?’
“To have him come back as strong as he is and in as good of shape as he is in, it’s
amazing. It’s really a miracle.”
Hall has been home on military leave for about three weeks and is set to return to
Walter Reed on Monday.
He awaits word from the Department of Veterans Affairs about whether his military
service has concluded.
“I’m just trying to make everything go as fast as it can so I can get back here,” Hall
said. “Right now, I’m just kind of in limbo.”
The plan is to be home permanently in “3-6 months, hopefully sooner,” Hall said. “I’m
still kind of living in Maryland right now. I’d rather be here.”
More plans for his permanent return are already being made.
Hall said he plans to build a house, perhaps in Gray, and apply for college, where he
hopes to study medicine, which was his secondary job while overseas.
“When I wasn’t leading patrols, I got to treat patients,” Hall said.
With the high level of intensity he has grown accustomed to, Hall said he wants to have
a lot of challenges when he comes home to stay.
“I just need something stressful to keep me going,” Hall said. “I need some level of
stress for me to be able to function.”
However, Hall said the military would be his first preference because he prefers tactical
work.
“I’d rather stay in the military, if I could,” Hall said. “I had just re-enlisted before I got
hurt. I was going to do 20 years. I’d go back to Afghanistan tomorrow, if they would let
me.”
Hall is one of two local natives injured overseas last year with Pfc. Marshall Lane
suffering injuries just weeks after Hall.
Both men received a Purple Heart.
Coming home, Hall said, has helped him expedite overcoming obstacles like learning to
walk again and drive his car, which has a manual transmission.
“What really helped was coming home,” Hall said. “There everything is handicap
accessible. Here (his father) has like four flights of steps. I had to learn how to do that
quickly because I refused to sit in the living room.”
Hall said he feels beyond thankful to still be alive.
“I was resuscitated three times and I’ve suffered a lot of injuries,” Hall said. “It’s a
miracle that my brain and everything still works as good as it did before. I thank God for
that because there is no other way I would be here.”
Hall’s mother, Michelle Caudill, said her son’s brave decision in Afghanistan nearly a
year ago has changed everyone in the family’s lives.
“We’re just amazed,” Caudill said. “He almost died on us. It was really bad.”
Caudill and Roger Hall said they credit the Lord, prayer and great doctors with saving
their son’s life.
“That’s what saved his life,” Caudill said. “At the bleakest moments ... we had people
reaching out to us. We need to thank God in all of this.”
Johnson City Press: UCMH board to weigh hospital proposals again
By BRAD HICKS
Erwin Bureau Chief
bhicks@johnsoncitypress.com ERWIN — Proposals from two of the region’s
largest health care systems to acquire Unicoi County Memorial Hospital will once again
be up the UCMH Board of Control’s consideration.
On Thursday, the board will hold a called meeting to consider adoption of a proposal
from either Mountain States Health Alliance or Wellmont Health System to acquire
UCMH and its health care assets. This public meeting will begin at 5 p.m. in the
auditorium of Unicoi County High School.
Late last month, the board announced that UCMH’s pending sale to MSHA had been
delayed due to concerns the state attorney general’s office had about the transaction.
According to a letter from the attorney general’s office addressed to attorneys
representing the board, the office’s concerns include:
› The board’s failure to comply with the provisions of the state’s Open Meetings Act in
its acceptance of the MSHA acquisition proposal.
› Its failure to obtain the approval of the town of Erwin and Unicoi County on the sale
per the UCMH charter.
› Concerns over how monetary contributions outlined in MSHA’s acquisition proposal
would be spent.
Board of Control Chairman Roland Bailey previously said the board’s attorneys were
working to review the attorney general’s concerns and how to address them. Bailey could
not be reached Friday for comment.
The board has twice approved proposals submitted by MSHA. Most recently, on Nov.
28 the board voted to approve a proposal from MSHA over one submitted by Wellmont.
On March 28, the board voted to approve MSHA’s final definitive agreement to acquire
UCMH. According to state law, the acquisition process must be reviewed by the attorney
general’s office before becoming official.
Since late 2012, MSHA has been working with UCMH through a manage- ment
agreement that became effective after acceptance of MSHA’s proposal. In its proposal
that was previously approved by the UCMH board, MSHA stated it would assume all of
UCMH’s debt and financial liabilities, construct a new acute care facility within the town
limits of Erwin, would extend a $2 million line of credit to UCMH, much of which has
been utilized, and provide voluntary contributions of $750,000 each to the town of Erwin
and Unicoi County, and a $1 million contribution to go toward a foundation to enhance
health care services in Unicoi County.
“MSHA is committed to meeting the health care needs of Unicoi County residents, and
we stand behind all the promises we made in our proposal to the hospital’s board of
control,” MSHA spokesman Tony Benton said Friday. “We believe that an objective
review of the proposals will show once again that MSHA is the best choice for Unicoi
County.”
In its previously submitted acquisition proposal, Wellmont stated it would assume
UCMH’s debt, issue an uncapped line of credit for UCMH operations, expand service at
the hospital, provide contributions of $600,000 each to Unicoi County and Erwin, and
would construct a replacement hospital within the county’s limits within three years of
the transaction’s closing. Wellmont officials said Friday that their organization’s interest
in acquiring Unicoi County’s community hospital remains high.
“Wellmont Health System remains pleased this process is being revisited, as it is in the
best interest of Unicoi County,” Wellmont spokesman Jim Wozniak said. “This public
forum appears to be a positive step in moving this process forward in a transparent
manner.”
Johnson City Press: Several projects approved by State Building Commission
By REX BARBER
Assistant News Editor
rbarber@johnsoncitypress.com Much attention was placed this past week on the
State Building Commission’s approval of a plan to construct a new football stadium at
East Tennessee State University, but that body also approved other university projects
totaling around $21 million.
While the SBC does not have authority to approve dollars, it is necessary to give final
approval to state building projects before they move forward.
On Thursday, SBC members approved a plan to build an $18 million football stadium
at ETSU. According to SBC documents, around $7.5 million of that money
› would come from student fees.
Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey said the remainder of the project cost could be covered with a
combination of state-issued bonds and fundraising.
He plans to work on that.
The July meeting of the SBC is usually heavy with approval requests as it is the first
meeting of the fiscal year. Thursday’s meeting agenda was 125 pages and included
projects from around the state, some of which have been included in this year’s budget by
the legislature and some, like the stadium, have only been disclosed.
A disclosure designation means local dollars must be found to fund a project, according
to ETSU Vice President of Finance and Administration David Collins.
Below are some other projects approved by SBC members Thursday for ETSU:
› A water replacement system for the College of Medicine’s Building 2 on the Veterans
Affairs Medical Center, Mountain Home campus.
This will involve installing a package chilled water system, including all piping, pumps,
valves and controls for a total cost of $500,000. This cost has been included in the
budget.
› The updating of several elevators on campus to come into compliance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act, to improve reliability and to provide safety updates with
a focus on 2010 code requirements.
There are eight elevators in Brown, Burgin Dossett, Warf-Pickel, Rogers-Stout,
Gilbreath, Lamb and Roy S. Nicks halls that require updating.
The total cost for this project is $1.35 million. This money comes from current funds
for capital maintenance and bonds.
› More energy efficient lighting at a cost of $1.5 million was approved in various
campus buildings. This project has been approved for the 2013-14 budget.
› Improving campus housing by renovating roofs, HVAC systems, flooring, electrical
and plumbing systems and other minor repairs in Carter, Lucille Clement, Nell Dossett,
Powell, Stone and West halls and Davis Apartments.
This project has only been disclosed at a cost of $3,306,000 and will be paid for by
bonds that will be paid off by housing rent.
› Renovations to the College of Medicine’s Building 60, which will include replacing
all building systems and constructing new simulation labs, teaching labs, classrooms and
spaces for technology and general support.
This project is projected to cost a little more than $12.9 million and is funded by
reserve funds from the College of Pharmacy and College of Medicine.
A new data center was also approved Thursday. This facility will be approximately
5,000 square feet. This is a disclosed project estimated to cost $1.5 million.
“Currently, our data center is in the basement of Lucille Clement,” Collins said.
“There’s been a couple of times that pipes have broken and leaked down into the data
center.”
Collins said that fortunately no computers have ever been damaged but the potential to
lose valuable equipment is present.
“We certainly can’t have a pipe wipe out our systems,” Collins said.
A location for the new data center has not yet been chosen, but Collins said it would
likely be on the west end of campus, where Lucille Clement is, to utilize the generators
already in place there and for other cost savings.
All these projects, now that they’ve been approved by the SBC, can move forward for
planning, so no firm dates for construction to begin have been set.
“All this is getting it started for the designer,” Collins said.
July 16, 2013
Tennessee News
Johnson City Press: MSHA extends another $1M credit
Johnson City Press: Protesting Aerojet
Kingsport Times News: NETWORKS chief intends ‘to finish well’
Johnson City Press: MSHA extends another $1M credit
By KAYLA CARTER
Press Staff Writer
kcarter@johnsoncitypress.com Mountain States Health Alliance will fund Unicoi
County Memorial Hospital an additional $1 million, which brings the MSHA line of
credit cost total to $3 million.
“The MSHA board of directors has approved a $1 million addition to the line of credit
for Unicoi County Memorial Hospital,” said Marvin Eichorn, MSHA senior vice
president and chief financial officer. “When the original $2 million line of credit runs out,
the hospital will be able to draw from these additional dollars to continue operations
through the remainder of the transition process.”
The hospital will need to continue operations through the end of a process initiated
when two requests for proposals were submitted to Wellmont Health System and MSHA
by the UCMH board last year.
Both health systems submitted proposals and since then the UCMH board has approved
the MSHA proposal twice.
“It’s important to note that these funds are a temporary fix for the hospital,” Eichorn
said. “The real improvements that the hospital needs in order to become financially viable
can’t be done until the hospital officially becomes part of Mountain States Health
Alliance.”
However, MSHA’s acquisition of UCMH was thwarted by a state attorney general
response released last month.
According to a letter from the attorney general’s office addressed to attorneys
representing the board, the office’s concerns include:
› The board’s failure to comply with the provisions of the state’s Open Meetings Act in
its acceptance of the MSHA acquisition proposal.
› Its failure to obtain the approval of the town of Erwin and Unicoi County on the sale
per the UCMH charter.
› Concerns over how monetary contributions outlined in MSHA’s acquisition proposal
would be spent.
UCMH Board of Control Chairman Roland Bailey said the board plans to address all of
the attorney general concerns and the money will help them accomplish that goal.
“I’m very pleased that they took that step,” said UCMH Board of Control Chairman
Roland Bailey. “That will allow us to keep our operations going and also allow the board
to address the concerns of the attorney general and get his concerns satisfied.”
On Thursday, the board will hold a called meeting to consider adoption of a proposal
from either Mountain States Health Alliance or Wellmont Health System to acquire
UCMH and its health care assets.
This public meeting will begin at 5 p.m. in the auditorium of Unicoi County High
School.
Johnson City Press: Protesting Aerojet
By GARY B. GRAY
Press Staff Writer
ggray@johnsoncitypress.com A moral and educational crusade? Sure, that’s a fair
description of the Chicago-basedChristianPeacemakers Teams’ demonstration and
pronouncement Monday that Jonesborough’s Aerojet Ordnance Tennessee’s use of
depleted uranium has contaminated surrounding soil and water supplies.
In 2011, members of the organization spoke at East Tennessee State University and
warned that tests would confirm that fact. About one dozen members, including members
of Appalachia Peace Education Aerojet Action Project, gathered Monday across the street
from the facility. A table held pipes used for gathering soil and test tubes to show
methods used in a Northern Arizona University study that revealed that “results clearly
indicate the presence of DU (depleted uranium), evidently originating from Aerojet
Ordinance Tennessee in water, soil and sediment samples.”
The study, headed by Michael Ketterer, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and
dated April 18, revealed that DU was found in water in Little Limestone Creek
downstream from the facility, sediments in the creek, and from soils from off-site
locations near the facility, located at 1367 Old State Route 34.
“The extent of physical damage cannot yet be nailed down,” said John Mueller a CPT
delegation member and former chemist. “But the fact is that contamination has been
found. The problem of uranium contamination is a world problem, not just a
Jonesborough problem.”
DU is a heavy metal that is both radioactive and chemically toxic, according to the
Institute for Energy & Environmental Research. Depleted uranium is a by-product of the
enrichment process. It has been used by the U.S. Military to make armorpiercing
weapons and tank armor plating.
Aerojet Ordnance is an arm of Aerojet Rocketdyne, an American rocket and missile
propulsion manufacturer headquartered in Sacramento, Calif. The company is owned by
GenCorp. Aerojet Ordnance designs, develops and produces special metal components
for munitions, commercial products and sporting goods.
“I can tell you there will be no observation of their presentation and we will make no
comment,” Aerojet Ordinance Facilities Security Officer Lisa Mabry said by telephone
prior to the event. “They seem to be unwilling to listen to what the truth really is, but they
are welcome to gather and to protest peacefully.”
CPT members believe prayer vigils and public witness brings the search for truth into
the public arena — a tradition inspired by the word of God, practiced by Jesus and
carried on by Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
“We believe we must take our Christian faith from the pews to the public space,”
CPT’s website announces.
Though Mueller, and the study’s author, call it an “interim report,” 25 samples taken
over the past 2 years within a 2-mile radius of the plant showed the 17 samples closest to
the plant showed contamination from processed uranium; samples further away did not.
The World Nuclear Association says on its website that uranium occurs naturally in the
Earth’s crust and is mildly radioactive, and the health hazards associated with any
uranium are much the same as those for lead.
“Depleted uranium is not classified as a dangerous substance radiologically, though it is
a potential hazard in large quantities, beyond what could conceivably be breathed. There
are no reputable reports of cancer or other negative health effects from radiation exposure
to ingested or inhaled natural or depleted uranium, despite much study,” the association
reports.
CPT member Rosemarie Milazzo, an 81-year-old nun from New York City, said the
group believes all weapons are immoral and their use is incompatible with the most basic
principles of humanity and environmental health protection.
“How can we, as a civilized society, continue to harm others by disregarding our
responsibility to care for and protect our land?” she asked.
CPT member and Amarillo, Texas, resident Rusty Tomlinson said uranium weapons
have been used in a number of nations and they each exhibit high rates of severe health
problems. He then recited a long list ranging from birth defects to headaches.
“Studies of vets exposed to uranium weapons showed that male vets had three times the
normal rate of children with birth defects,” he said. “Female vets had four times the
normal rate. In studies of miscarriages, the number of female vets was too small to draw
any conclusions, but male vets’ wives had 1.6 times the normal rate of miscarriages.”
So, has the group attempted to sit down with Aerojet? Have they told them about their
concerns? Have they asked them to participate in a dialogue or debate on the issue?
Mueller says they have.
“Evidence that these folks are not here right now should tell you something,” he said.
The CPT will hold a public educational forum at 1 p.m. July 27 at the Jonesborough
Visitors Center.
Kingsport Times News: NETWORKS chief intends ‘to finish well’
By MATTHEW LANE
mlane@timesnews.net BLOUNTVILLE — NETWORKS Sullivan Partnership
President and CEO Richard Venable will remain at the helm of the countywide economic
development organization until the end of the year. At that point, Venable will assume an
advisory role to NETWORKS, while the organization undertakes a search for a
successor.
“Our board has been concerned for some time about having a succession plan in place,”
Venable said. “This is a logical, timely plan that fits my needs and those of NETWORKS
for an orderly transition and fills my desire for NETWORKS to continue its important
work uninterrupted.”
Formed in 2004, NETWORKS is a countywide economic development organization
that represents Kingsport, Bristol, Bluff City and Sullivan County. Since its creation, the
organization has assisted new and existing business with creating several thousand direct
and indirect jobs, in addition to acquiring and managing over $8 million of industrial
development property.
Venable, who has led the organization for more than six years, said with the changing
economic environment and evolving, local political climate, now is the time for the
organization to review its direction. Venable said he has recommended a “top to bottom”
review of NETWORKS’ entire structure, including its bylaws and chart e r.
“We’ve made very few bylaw changes over the last nine years. When we set
(NETWORKS) up it was with a 24-member board, which is a bit unwieldy and at times
unable to involve all board members,” Venable said. “At the time, we needed community
support. Having finished nearly nine years, six under my term, I think we’ve built
community support.
“Now, we’re at the right time and place. The world has changed since 2004, and we
need to change with it.”
Under the terms of his contract, Venable will remain at the helm of NETWORKS
through Dec. 31, after which he will assume an advisory role, including participating in
the “top to bottom” review of the organization. The Strategic Development Group of
Columbia, S.C., will conduct a national search for Venable’s replacement.
Venable said there is one four-year-old project he wants to see through, along with
three to four international companies he is working with to locate within Sullivan County.
“My focus will be on NETWORKS and completing the job given to me. The most
important thing is for me to finish well,” he said.
Venable is a former state representative and a former Sullivan County mayor, and he
made a run for the 1st Congressional District seat in 2006. Venable said he has no future
political aspirations at this time.
“This new contract will allow me time, in the near future, to assist my sons in
rebuilding the trucking business that has supported our family for the past 25 years,”
Venable said. “I haven’t worked there in 10 years, and it’s time I help them.”
NETWORKS Chairman of the Board Charlie Floyd praised Venable’s service to the
organization.
“We’ve been fortunate to have Richard’s leadership at NETWORKS these past six-plus
years. We need his continued support to find the best person to succeed him and prepare
for the future I know he wants for the partnership,” Floyd said.
July 17, 2013
Tennessee News
Johnson City Press: Wellmont says UCMH proposals ‘null and void’
Johnson City Press: Wellmont says UCMH proposals ‘null and void’
By BRAD HICKS
Erwin Bureau Chief
bhicks@johnsoncitypress ERWIN — Wellmont Health System has fired the latest
salvo in the nearly yearlong battle between the health care organization and rival
Mountain States Health Alliance to acquire financially-struggling Unicoi County
Memorial Hospital.
Wellmont announced Tuesday that it has concerns over the legality of the UCMH sale
process and has called for the UCMH Board of Control to begin the process anew.
On Tuesday morning, Wellmont released a statement declaring both its proposal to
acquire UCMH and the proposal submitted by MSHA to be “null and void.” In the
statement, Wellmont officials said this comes as a result of “internal legal analysis,” and
that based on concerns previously raised by the state attorney general’s office, the
organization feels the hospital board’s process used to choose a proposal did not meet
legal requirements
Due to its stance, Wellmont will not participate in a public meeting to be held
Thursday, at which the UCMH board will again consider the proposals from Wellmont
and MSHA.
“According to our legal advice, the proper remedy for these violations is for the board
to issue another request for proposals and follow a legal, broad and transparent process
from this point forward,” Wellmont President/ CEO Denny DeNarvaez stated in the
release. “Merely re-evaluating the two proposals in an open meeting such as the one
scheduled later this week in not sufficient.”
On June 25, the UCMH board announced the sale of UCMH to MSHA had been
delayed due to concerns the state attorney general’s office had over the pending
transaction. According to a letter from the attorney general’s office sent to attorneys
representing the board, the office’s concerns included the board’s failure to comply with
provisions of the state’s Open Meetings Act in its original selection of the MSHA
proposal, its failure to obtain the approvals of the town of Erwin and Unicoi County on
the sale per the UCMH charter, and concerns over how monetary contributions outlined
in MSHA’s proposal would be spent.
“We simply want what’s in the best interests of the people of Unicoi County,”
DeNarvaez stated. “And an open, honest process is clearly in their best interests.
“We continue to be humbled and appreciative of the tremendous support we’ve
received from the residents of that community, and we will continue to work to ensure
the process used to determine the sale of their hospital is transparent and fair.”
Spokesman Jim Wozniak said Tuesday Wellmont officials were unavailable to offer
comment in addition to their statement.
On Tuesday afternoon, MSHA President/CEO Dennis Vonderfecht issued a statement
responding to Wellmont. In it, Vonderfecht referred to Wellmont’s announcement as a
“ploy” to delay the sale process, and he stated his organization remains interested in
acquiring UCMH.
“Based on the feedback from the Tennessee Attorney General and our own attorney’s
legal analysis, we believe the UCMH Board of Control is following the appropriate legal
procedures to assess the acquisition proposals in an open,publicmanner,”Vonderfecht
stated. “Nothing in the letter from the Attorney General suggests that the process
followed by the UCMH Board of Control in soliciting proposals was flawed. The recent
announcement by Wellmont is simply a ploy to disrupt a process in which it had the same
opportunity to participate as MSHA. In light of the dire financial situation at UCMH, the
attempts by Wellmont to delay the process reveal its disregard for the fate of UCMH.
“As we have been for many years, MSHA remains committed to serving the people of
Unicoi County and to supporting the county’s hometown hospital. Our offer to the people
of Unicoi County still stands.”
Wellmont’s announcement came one day after MSHA announced it would extend an
additional $1 million to the $2 million line of credit in its original acquisition proposal.
According to a release issued Monday by MSHA, this additional funding can be utilized
by UCMH for operational expenses once the original $2 million line of credit is
extinguished.
Board Chairman Roland Bailey said his board was going to do “everything possible” to
address and satisfy the attorney general’s concerns. Despite Wellmont’s statement, Bailey
also said the board will proceed with Thursday’s meeting as planned and would continue
to follow the advisement of its legal counsel.
“That may be their attorney’s stance, but their attorney doesn’t really have the final
decision,” Bailey said. “That decision is made by the attorney general. The attorney
general did not say that we were totally and completely out of compliance. What he said
is he has some concerns and, so, we feel that the bids that we got were valid and that they
are viable, and we are going to proceed with that process as of now.
“As far as (Wellmont’s) participation, that is their choice. They’ve been vocal in the
past and if they decide to participate, then they’re welcome and invited. That’s as much
as we can do. We’re going to proceed with our meeting on Thursday night because we’ve
got to get this thing resolved. We cannot continue to operate a hospital when we’re broke
and do not have sufficient funds.”
Bailey said the board will not be considering new proposals Thursday, but will be
considering the revised proposals submitted in October. In its proposal, MSHA
committed to assumption of UCMH’s debt and liabilities, the construction of a new acute
care facility within the limits of Erwin, the extension of a $2 million line of credit, and
contributions of $750,000 each to the town of Erwin and Unicoi County, and a $1 million
contribution to go to a foundation to enhance community health care services.
In its proposal, Wellmont stated that it would assume UCMH’s debt, issue an uncapped
line of credit for operational expenses, expand services at the hospital, provide
contributions of $600,000 each to Unicoi County and Erwin, and would construct a
replacement hospital within the county’s limits within three years of the transaction’s
closing.
Since late last year, MSHA has been working with UCMH under a management
agreement. Although he said MSHA has had a strong working relationship with UCMH
for a number of years, UCMH Emergency Room Director Ken Trzil said he has been
even more impressed with MSHA since the organization began working with UCMH
under this management agreement.
“I’ve been even more strongly convinced that it was the right decision to go with
Mountain States,” he said.
Trzil said MSHA staff has been helpful, professional and is “genuinely interested in
helping patient care be the best it can be.” He said MSHA’s presence has allowed UCMH
to offer the same services locally that are available in Kingsport, Johnson City and
Knoxville.
“We wouldn’t have that if we had to go 45 minutes to an hour away for specialty care,”
he said.
Unicoi County resident and Wellmont supporter Bill Gaines said he met with Wellmont
officials on Monday and was not surprised by the organization’s Tuesday announcement.
He also said the statement does not mean that Wellmont is no longer interested in
acquiring UCMH.
“They feel like they’d be giving legitimacy to a corrupt process, and it has certainly
been that from the get-go,” Gaines said.
Like Wellmont, Gaines said he wants the sale process to be “fair, transparent and
inclusive.” However, Gaines said he feels the UCMH Board of Control has failed to take
an objective look at the proposals, adding that he does not feel Thursday’s meeting would
satisfy the attorney general’s concerns.
“I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t come back again,” he said.
The meeting to again consider the proposals will begin at 5 p.m. in the auditorium of
the Unicoi County High School.
July 23, 2013
Tennessee News
Johnson City Press: ETSU plans growth despite $3.7M shortfall
Johnson City Press: Erwin board again supports MSHA acquisition of hospital
Johnson City Press: Carter County Tomorrow looking to streamline
Johnson City Press: ETSU plans growth despite $3.7M shortfall
By KAYLA CARTER
Press Staff Writer
kcarter@johnsoncitypress.com East Tennessee State University President Brian
Noland announced Monday how the university plans to continue growth despite a $3.7
million budgetary shortfall expected in the fall, which is the result of a 3 percent decline
in enrollment.
Noland described the actions the university plans to take as “short-term” initiatives that
will help in the long term.
“It is not an effort under way that is a series of cuts,” Noland said. “It is not an effort
that’s under way that’s a point of panic. It’s an effort under way by an institution to
strategically align its resources and its expenditures.”
All major departments and academic units have been asked to reduce their budgets by
1.5 percent, which equals a $1.9 million savings.
A hiring freeze is expected to save $750,000 initially and $1.5 million for the year.
“No one’s losing their job,” Noland said. “There are no reductions in staff.”
A mandatory computer replacement policy has been extended from four to five years
and the replacement of motor pool vehicles has been delayed, which creates a combined
savings of $410,000.
Cell phone allowances for all employees with salaries that exceed $50,000 will be
eliminated, which is expected to save $80,000.
“The university will not authorize expenditures for new cell phones, and iPads will not
be purchased for individuals by state or foundation funds,” according to Noland’s budget
announcement letter. “This actions means that we are suspending reimbursement of
employees for personal purchase of those devices —
› though we will, of course, continue to purchase universityowned devices.”
Depending on enrollment, a freeze will be implemented on the current model for
entrepreneurial revenue distribution, which Noland explained is an incentive for
academic initiatives not located on the main campus. An example is a class taught in
Kingsport or other cities in the region where a faculty member is reimbursed at a higher
rate than if that class took place on the main campus, Noland said.
“We’ve grown exponentially in the entrepreneurial areas,” Noland said. “So, the
change that’s here just simply says the revenue differential between the fee level that was
charged last year and the fee level that was charged this year comes back to the main
campus to help address the budget situation that we find. But, it was an incentive plan
that was put in place to help grow and diversify enrollment across the region and online.”
Higher education budgets today are less dependent on state funding and more
dependent on revenues like tuition and fees, which are the primary means of revenue for
ETSU, Noland said. Thus a reduction in enrollment creates less revenue for the
university.
“Over the past three years, we have not met our enrollment targets,” Noland said.
Decreases in enrollment are a result of fewer transfer students and first-time freshman.
Students not completing their degrees is also factored into the equation.
“This is the second year in a row in which the number of firsttime freshman has
declined,” Noland said. “We have to do more to focus our efforts on ensuring that
students that begin their college experience at ETSU have a successful experience and
walk across the stage and receive a degree.”
Noland explained that money already acquired, set aside and designated for initiatives
like the parking garage and football program are not included in the unrestricted revenue
lost from enrollment.
“There are restricted and unrestricted revenues,” Noland said. “The funds for the
parking garage have been encumbered for a number of years.
“Funds for football come from dedicated student fees for athletics. So when the
students took action on athletics, those fees are restricted for those purposes. We cannot
by Board of Regents policy pick those fee revenues up from a restricted category and
move them to an unrestricted category.”
The football program is projected to boost enrollment, which could ease future
budgetary shortfalls, Noland said.
“The enrollment declines that we have experienced have been historic,” Noland said.
“The enrollment decline that we are expecting this fall is totally unrelated to football. If
we did not have a football program, I would still be standing here today making this
decision.”
“I anticipate that not only with football, with the fine and performing arts center, with
new academic programs that are positioned within the 125 efforts ... we will move
through this temporary position and position ourselves for growth not only next year but
in years to come.”
Formed in 2012, the Committee for 125 works to develop plans and visions for the
school through 2036, the year ETSU turns 125.
Noland said it’s not in the university’s best interest to cease investment growth, but the
university instead should uphold its mission statement to serve the region and people at
the university.
“What we are doing today is supporting that mission statement and putting our
resources around our faculty and around our staff,” Noland said. “The short-term actions
that we have taken today allow us to make another round of investments in equity
funding and another round of investments in base support for our faculty.”
Johnson City Press: Erwin board again supports MSHA acquisition of hospital
By BRAD HICKS
Erwin Bureau Chief
bhicks@johnsoncitypress.com ERWIN — The Erwin Board of Mayor and
Aldermen took steps Monday to address a pair of divisive issues that have recently faced
Unicoi County.
Four days after the Unicoi County Memorial Hospital Board of Control again voted to
move forward with allowing Mountain States Health Alliance to acquire Unicoi County’s
financially struggling community hospital, the board lent its approval to the move.
The board voted Monday to approve a resolution to approve the sale of UCMH to
MSHA per the UCMH Board of Control’s decision. The measure passed by a 4-0 vote,
with Alderman Robie Sullins abstaining.
Following the board’s vote, MSHA President/CEO Dennis Vonderfecht, who was in
attendance at Monday’s meeting, thanked the board.
“We appreciate the vote by the commission and look forward to concluding this process
and, I think more importantly, we look forward to having Unicoi County Memorial
Hospital as an important family member of Mountain States Health Alliance,”
Vonderfecht said.
In November, the UCMH Board of Control voted to accept a revised proposal from
MSHA to acquire UCMH over a proposal submitted by Wellmont Health System.
On June 25, the UCMH Board announced UCMH’s pending sale to MSHA had been
delayed due to a trio of concerns the office had regarding the sale process.
According to a letter from the attorney general’s office sent to attorneys representing
the UCMH Board, the office’s concerns were the UCMH Board’s failure to comply with
the state’s Open Meetings Act during the sale process, questions over how monetary
contributions outlined in the MSHA proposal would be spent and the UCMH Board’s
failure to obtain the approvals of the sale from the town of Erwin and Unicoi County per
the UCMH charter.
At Thursday’s meeting, UCMH Board of Control attorney Lou Bissette said that
evening’s public meeting was being held to address the attorney gen› ›
eral’s concern regarding the Open Meetings Act. Following Monday’s meeting, Erwin
Town Recorder Randy Trivette said town officials hope the board’s vote will address part
of the attorney general’s concern regarding approval of the sale by the local governments.
“By this vote, we’re allowing them to move forward with whatever action and
proposals that they’ve already accepted,” Trivette said.
Unicoi County Mayor Greg Lynch said Monday that although the Unicoi County
Commission is currently short one commissioner due to last month’s resignation of Doug
Bowman from the panel, he said the commission can legally vote on county matters.
However, Lynch said the county is still awaiting word from the UCMH Board of Control
on how to proceed and will likely wait until the vacancy is filled before the commission
considers approval of the hospital sale.
The Unicoi County Commission is set to hold a called meeting Aug. 6 to fill the
commission’s vacancy, and Lynch’s consideration of the sale may take place at this
meeting. If it is not considered then, Lynch said the item would be up for the
commission’s consideration at its regular meeting Aug. 26.
The Erwin Board of Mayor and Aldermen also unanimously voted to have the town
provide one-half of the funding previously requested by the Unicoi County Animal
Welfare Board to go toward the Unicoi County Animal Shelter. Through this move, the
town will continue to participate in the county shelter through the interlocal agreement
currently in place at least until Jan. 1.
On June 10, the Erwin board voted not to contribute to the welfare board’s budget for
the 2013-14 fiscal year, opting instead to move forward with having the town operate its
own animal shelter separate from the county shelter. According to the interlocal
agreement enacted in 2006, which is now still in effect, each of Unicoi County’s three
governments were to contribute equal annual funding to the welfare board’s budget.
Officials with the county shelter previously said that the loss of Erwin’s nearly $23,300
in funding could threaten future facility operations.
Funding for the welfare board has already been allocated in the town of Unicoi’s 201314 budget and is currently allocated in Unicoi County’s proposed 2013-14 budget, which
has not yet been approved.
On July 12, the mayors of the county’s three governmental bodies met to discuss a
possible resolution by which all three municipalities would remain part of the county
shelter. Per the proposed solution, both Erwin’s and the county’s animal control officers
would become county employees under the supervision of the Unicoi County Sheriff’s
Department. The county’s governments would also look to contract with the Unicoi
County Humane Society to have it run the county shelter, with each government
contributing equal funding toward this contract.
Through this proposal, a board of control made up of the three mayors and other
members would replace the current Animal Welfare Board. A new interlocal agreement
would have to be enacted to effect any changes, and officials hope that an ironedout
agreement can be reached by Jan. 1.
With its vote Monday, the town will contribute $11,635 to the Animal Welfare Board.
If a new agreement is reached by Jan. 1, the town will contribute this same amount for
the remainder of the 2013-14 fiscal year.
“We are in conversations with the town of Unicoi and also Unicoi County concerning
the interlocal agreement with the Unicoi County Animal Shelter, and we are making
progress, the other two mayors and I,” Erwin Mayor Doris Hensley said. “We definitely
want to see the animal shelter stay in place, and it will stay in place, regardless of
whether the town of Erwin opts to be a part of it or not. The Unicoi County Animal
Shelter will still be down there and doing the tremendous job that it already does.”
Johnson City Press: Carter County Tomorrow looking to streamline
By JOHN THOMPSON
Elizabethton Bureau Chief
jthompson@johnsoncitypress.com ELIZABETHTON — The Carter County
Tomorrow economic development organization has begun working on efforts to become
more efficient and focused.
One obvious change is in its meetings. Instead of holding monthly meetings of all of its
more than 20 members, the group decided to limit its monthly meetings to just the
executive board. All members are still invited to attend the monthly meetings, but
meetings of the entire group are going to be limited to once a quarter.
The group is also developing tools, such as timelines, to be more accountable in its
large projects and to have measurable goals. Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey
emphasized the importance of developing timelines.
“We have got to have a time frame,” Humprhey said, “so we don’t lose sight of our
objectives.”
The organization’s president, Tom Anderson, went over some of the group’s projects
during the quarterly meeting Monday. These included the efforts to redevelop along the
Watauga River and West Elk Avenue; the redevelopment of downtown Elizabethton; the
development of a “pad ready” industrial site in Okolona; the Roan Mountain sewer
project; and assistance to existing industry.
Anderson said efforts are being made to produce a timeline for the West Elk Avenue
redevelopment site by the August executive board meeting. He said the site includes the
area along the Watauga River that the Elizabethton Planning Department has identified as
the Riverfront, but also large tracts south of the river, including the lots in which Walmart
and Ingles are located.
Anderson said the Elizabethton Planning Department has previously discussed taxing
policies to help encourage development for the area. These include a tax increment
financing or a business improvement district. He said these districts have not been formed
locally, but are done all across the state to encourage development.
Anderson said he hopes to hold a workshop with the Carter County Commission on the
proposals once the time line is worked out.
While the city and county might forego some property tax increases from development,
Anderson said those taxes could be made up from increased sales taxes, utility fees and
more people employed. These could be addressed in an economic impact study.
Anderson said the Elizabethton Planning Department is also studying ways to
implement a business improvement district for downtown Elizabethton. He said the
Downtown Business Association would be a driving force in that project.
On the Okolona site, Anderson said a private property owner has agreed to an option on
land for industrial development. This development would include a partnership with
Johnson City. He said the site would be served by the Elizabethton Electric Department
and Johnson City water and sewer.
Anderson said the site could be eligible for Tennessee Valley Authority investment
prep programs, which could provide $500,000 to help with development of the site.
Anderson said a smaller sewer project is being envisaged for Roan Mountain that
would focus on businesses rather than residences. He said an operating authority, such as
the Roan Mountain Utility District, would be needed.
July 31, 2013
Tennessee News
Johnson City Press: State Chamber president outlines legislative agenda
Kingsport Times News: Eastman planning to boost Tritan capacity in Kingsport
Company seeing ‘strong global demand’ for copolyester
Johnson City Press: State Chamber president outlines legislative agenda
By NATHAN BAKER
Press Staff Writer
nbaker@johnsoncitypress.com Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry
President Catherine Glover said Tuesday that she expects a busy 10 weeks for the
lobbying group when the state General Assembly reconvenes in January.
“We’re in the second half of the 108th coming up, it’s going to be a blitzkrieg, 10
weeks in and out,” Glover told Johnson City Chamber of Commerce members at an
informal luncheon at the local organization’s offices. “Even though this last session was
done in a shorter period, 10 weeks does not allow a lot, so we’re going to be coming at
this from all directions.”
Members of the state Chamber organization advocate a pro-business stance to state
lawmakers concerning corporate tax issues, worker’s compensation, organized labor and
other areas of interest in hopes of influencing policy decisions, and an affiliated political
action committee collects and distributes donations to candidates for state offices.
In the coming months, Glover said state legislators will likely face decisions on many
business-related issues, first among those the Common Core State Standards currently
being implemented in Tennessee.
“Common Core is a volatile issue, but it is one that over 40 states have adopted, we
adopted, and will be fully implemented by 2014,” Glover said. “The Chamber is fully
supportive of the Common Core Standards.
“We don’t see it as some educators do ... as an added burden, we see it as a necessity to
be able to compete globally with our workforce.”
The more challenging curriculum adopted as part of the new
standardswillprovideTennessee’s graduating students with the specialization they need in
science and math to help them land jobs at international companies, Glover said.
She also lauded the state’s bustling auto industry, and said the Chamber plans to fight
to ensure Tennessee remains a right-towork state, free of union influences.
“We’re working behind the scenes right now with Volkswagen management; obviously
it’s of utmost importance and paramount that we remain a unionfree state,” Glover said.
“We believe that unions have served a purpose in the past, but the protections that we
offer right now to employees ... mean you have many rights protected by a law that you
wouldn’t have 50 years ago, 40 years ago, even 30 years ago, so we feel the environment
is not conducive to having to have labor representation.”
Glover noted that the Volkswagen representatives told her that their Chattanooga plant
is the company’s only manufacturing facility that does not have a workers’ council
representing employees.
A third issue, finally passed this year after several years of contentious debate between
representatives and businesses, is a measure allowing employees with valid handgun
carry permits to keep their firearms in their personal vehicles at work, regardless of
business owners’ policies regarding weapons.
“The lieutenant governor and the state Chamber did not see eye-to-eye on all
components of this opportunity,” Glover said, referencing the new statute, dubbed the
guns-in-parking-lots law. “In our perspective we felt that property owners need to
maintain the right to post on their property and have certain rights that anybody who
owns a house or property does. It’s yours, you should be able to have a certain say.”
The new gun law will likely be on the General Assembly’s agenda for clarification after
State Attorney General Robert Cooper issued an opinion maintaining that Tennessee’s
right-to-work protections allow employers to terminate those employees who bring
firearms on properties where it is forbidden.
Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, a proponent of the guns-in-trunks law, said Cooper’s statement
goes against the intent of the legislation, and said he would likely support an amendment
to the statute next year to bar employers from firing workers solely for possessing a legal
handgun.
Kingsport Times News: Eastman planning to boost Tritan capacity in Kingsport
Company seeing ‘strong global demand’ for copolyester
HANK HAYES
hhayes@timesnews.net KINGSPORT — On the heels of a positive second-quarter
sales and earnings report, Eastman Chemical Co. announced plans Tuesday to increase
Tritan capacity at its Kingsport f a c i l i t y.
Through a series of capital projects, Eastman plans to expand its capacity from 60
thousand metric tons to 76 thousand metric tons to meet increasing demand for the
material. The projects are expected to be completed by mid-2014.
“Eastman continues to experience strong global demand for Tritan,” Lucian Boldea,
Eastman vice president and general manager of Advanced Materials-Specialty Plastics,
said in a prepared release. “We are gaining traction in markets such as medical, durable
goods and infant care. This investment in Tritan will allow us to maintain our position as
the global market leader in copolyesters, and we will continue to evaluate options for
more significant expansions in the future.”
Eastman’s Tritan is a new-generation copolyester that provides a balance of properties,
including toughness, dishwasher durability and superior clari t y.
Since its launch in 2007, Tritan has been the material of choice for more than 600 food
contact products ranging from serving and storing items to reusable sports bottles, infant
care products and small appliances.
In its second quarter report released on Monday, Eastman reported higher sales volume
for Tritan in the company’s Advanced Materials segment.
The company reported earnings of $1.80 per diluted share during the quarter compared
to $1.40 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2012. Sales revenue moved from $1.8
billion in last year’s second quarter to $2.4 billion in this year’s second q u a r t e r.
Eastman Chairman and CEO Jim Rogers cited progress in the company’s product
portfolio, including last year’s acquisition of Solutia, as the reason for continuing strength
in earnings performance.
August 6, 2013
Tennessee News
Johnson City Press: ETSU’s mass communication program loses accreditation
Bristol Herald Courier: Sullivan County residents can apply for low-interest loans
Johnson City Press: ETSU’s mass communication program loses accreditation
By SUE GUINN LEGG
Press Staff Writer
slegg@johnsoncitypress.com East Tennessee State University’s mass
communication program has lost accreditation from Accrediting Council on Education in
Journalism and Mass Communications.
The program, which includes undergraduate study concentrations in advertising/public
relations, journalism and radio/TV/ film, has been accredited by the council every six
years since 1989.
Dr. Gordan Anderson, dean of the university’s College of Arts & Sciences, and Amber
Kinser, chair of the Communications Department that includes the mass communication
program, said the decision will not impact any undergraduate degrees in mass
communication received from ETSU before May of this year.
Other undergraduate study concentrations included in the Communications Department
and ETSU’s Master’s of Professional Communication program are not subject to
ACEJMC accreditation and also are not affected.
Incoming undergraduate mass communication students were notified of the decision in
a letter dated Aug. 1.
Anderson said the ACEJMC council voted not to award the program accreditation in
April following a lengthy re-accreditation process conducted in 2012 and 2013 and
notified ETSU of its decision in May, “just as students were leaving for summer.”
He said the decision was based on three of nine areas in which the program fell short of
ACEJMC standards — documentation of student outcomes, documentation of diversity
in faculty and curriculum, and ETSU’s lack of an independent department of mass
communications.
While the program received an otherwise positive report from the visiting review team
and was recommended for re-accreditation by both the review team and by the ACEJMC
review committee based on improvements made in each of the three problem areas,
Anderson said he believes the council voted not to award accreditation in order to avoid
setting a precedent.
According to Anderson, administrators and faculty will spend the two years the
university must wait before it is allowed to reapply to the ACEJMC weighing the pros
and cons of accreditation and determining whether accreditation is something ETSU
wishes to pursue.
He said ACEJMC standards place some limitations on what colleges and universities
wish to do with their mass communications programs.
“There are some trade-offs,” he said.
In addition to the cost of establishing an independent mass communications
department, Anderson said the natural paring and close working relationship between the
broadcasting and theater programs offered through the Communications Department will
be considered. Since the ACEJMC review team issued its report on the program,
Anderson said the university has appointed an interim director of mass communications
to work within the Communications Department. Kinser said the department has also
revamped its strategic plans for recording student outcomes and for documenting its
efforts to provide students with curricular offerings representative of communities and
people of all ethnicities.
While the university makes an effort to hire faculty as ethnically diverse as possible,
Anderson and Kinser said the small size of the mass communications faculty and the
limited diversity of the population of the region limits the diversity of the program’s
faculty.
Aside from three standard areas cited, Kinser said the ACEJMC’s report was very
positive regarding the mas communications program’s curriculum, faculty, facilities and
student services and the program will be improved by the new strategic plans that have
been put in place since the report was issued.
“I would want students to know this change of designation by ACEJMC will not
change how prepared they are or how competitive they will be in the journalism
workforce or in graduate school,” she said.
Anderson and Kinser also noted that 75 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with
mass communications programs do not seek or maintain ACEJMC accreditation,
including some of the nation’s leading schools of journalism.
“It’s not what I wanted to see happen but I feel we’re still in pretty good company,”
Anderson said.
Bristol Herald Courier: Sullivan County residents can apply for low-interest loans
BY JAMES SHEA | BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Sullivan County residents who suffered property damage during the severe storms and
flooding in July can now apply for low-interest loans from the Small Business
Administration.
From today through Aug. 15, an SBA representative will be at the Kingsport Chamber of
Commerce at 400 Clinchfield St. to answer questions and help with paperwork.
Gov. Bill Haslam declared a state of emergency last week and requested that low-interest
loans be made available to businesses and home owners who suffered damage.
The office will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except for Sunday, Aug. 11.
“[An SBA representative] was encouraging people to apply,” Sullivan County
Emergency Management Director Jim Bean said. “It’s not just a bank loan.”
From July 17-21, much of the region was inundated with rain and more than 80
businesses and 60 homes suffered damage. Much of the loss was in downtown Kingsport,
where many retail businesses suffered huge inventory damage and losses.