This is a compilation of Tennessee news and political stories assembled daily by staffers in Gov. Bill Haslam’s office.
Governor Haslam announces 37 Historic Preservation Fund grants (WVLT-TV)
Around twenty counties in Tennessee will get grant money for historic preservation projects from the governor’s office. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam says he will give out 37 Historic Preservation Fund grants across Tennessee. The money goes towards programs that support preservation of historic and archaeological sites, districts and structures. “Protecting Tennessee’s historic places is critical to preserving our state’s heritage,” Haslam said. “Today’s announcement of more than $600,000 in assistance to communities across the state helps ensure that Tennessee’s rich history will continue to be shared with future generations.”
37 organizations to get preservation grants (Associated Press)
Thirty-seven community organizations in Tennessee are getting grants to preserve historic and archaeological sites, districts and structures. Gov. Bill Haslam announced the grants this week and said the more than $600,000 in assistance will ensure that the state’s rich history will continue to be shared with future generations. The Tennessee Historical Commission reviewed 63 applications with funding requests totaling nearly $2 million. This year’s selection included archaeological surveys, design guidelines for historic districts, rehabilitation of historic buildings, posters highlighting the state’s history and archaeology, and brochures related to historic tourism.
State awards grants to help with historic preservation (WBIR-TV Knoxville)
History is getting a boost in Tennessee thanks to a number of grants awarded Monday by the Tennessee Historical Commission. Among the money handed out was $6,000 to Knox Heritage to help pay for the restoration of windows at its new offices located inside the historic Westwood House. The organization moved into its new headquarters two months ago, but there’s still work to be done to get the building completely restored. Greeneville will receive $10,000 dollars to pay for window restoration in the Dixon-Williams Mansion. Another $12,000 dollars will help restore the Claiborne County Jail.
Franklin cemeteries, former jail get $30K for preservation (Tennessean/Walters)
State grants of nearly $30,000 will help Franklin history lovers protect and restore the city’s two oldest cemeteries and a former county jail. On Monday, Gov. Bill Haslam and the Tennessee Historical Commission announced that Franklin will receive $20,000 to complete ground-penetrating radar investigations of Rest Haven Cemetery and Franklin City Cemetery, which were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. The Historical Commission also awarded $9,000 to the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County to fund the restoration of windows of the former jail on Bridge Street known as the “old, old jail.”
Haslam cancels appearance this week due to grandchild’s impending birth (AP)
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has canceled his lone public event this week pending the arrival of his fourth grandchild. Spokesman David Smith said Monday that this will be the Haslams’ third grandchild born this year. Haslam had been scheduled to speak Tuesday to the Southland Conference, an event billing itself as focusing on “Technology, Entrepreneurship and Southern Culture.” Other scheduled speakers at the event are former Vice President Al Gore, PayPal President David Marcus and hotel Tonight CEO Sam Shank. A panel of entrepreneurs will judge the best 10 teams to apply in a startup competition, with each investing $10,000 of their own money.
TDOT to conduct safety review on stretch of I-40 (WBIR-TV Knoxville)
Last week’s tractor trailer wreck on Interstate 40 on Rockwood Mountain was what prompted a safety review on that stretch of roadway, according to TDOT. “Plans were in place to have a road safety audit review to see what safety measures have been done,” said TDOT spokesperson Mark Nagi. “We already have cameras in that area; we already have signage in that area, but do we need more signage? Do we need more pavement markings as well?” On Monday, another wreck involving two more tractor trailers clogged the same area of I-40 for nearly 12 hours. The drivers of both trucks were taken to a Roane County hospital for treatment.
TDOT looking at making a dangerous stretch of I-40 safer (WVLT-TV Knoxville)
I-40 was shut down for hours Monday morning after a tractor-trailer carrying children’s toys flipped over. This is the second big rig to crash in that exact spot in less than two weeks. Officials believe the steep curve at MM 341 in Roane County may be to blame. The Tennessee Department of Transportation has issued a safety review to try and figure out how to make that curve a little safer. “The preliminary crash stats show that between 2010 and 2012, especially in that specific area, that is an area that has a higher crash rate than the statewide average,” says Mark Nagi, spokesperson with TDOT.
Second overturned tractor trailer in a week, safety review ordered (WATE-TV Knox)
For the second time in less than a week, traffic was backed up for hours on I-40 in Roane County Monday morning after a crash involving two tractor trailers shut down all eastbound lanes. The Tennessee Department of Transportation says a safety review of the roadway has now been ordered. The section of roadway in question is on Rockwood Mountain at mile marker 341 just before the Harriman exit. The crash was reported around 2:19 a.m. Monday morning in the eastbound lanes, causing one of the trucks to overturn. One lane reopened around 7:20 a.m., but the roadway wasn’t completely cleared until around 1 p.m.
TDOT, THP ready as fans descend on Manchester for Bonnaroo (WATE-TV Knox)
The Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Tennessee Highway Patrol are working alongside Manchester authorities to keep traffic flowing as 80,000 fans descend on Manchester for the 13th Annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The festival kicks off on Thursday night and continues through Sunday, though organizers are opening the gates on Wednesday at 8 p.m. to allow more time for vehicles to enter the campgrounds. “During the Bonnaroo festival, the main goal is to keep through traffic moving smoothly on I-24 while getting festivalgoers safely into and out of the festival site,” said TDOT Commissioner John Schroer.
Many drivers still ignoring Move Over law (WRCB-TV Chattanooga)
Local law enforcement is reminding motorists to “Move Over.” It’s a law in Tennessee and Georgia to move over for emergency vehicles. But many drivers still aren’t aware of the rule that’s been on the books for seven years now. “I should’ve been killed. I’m gonna say by the grace of God that I lived,” said Tunnel Hill Police Lt. Scott Reneau. Five years ago, an 18-wheeler hit Reneau during a traffic stop — when the truck driver didn’t move over. Reneau broke several bones and missed work for nearly a year. He said he doesn’t remember the crash. But five years later, he said it’s still a problem.
Monorail To Murfreesboro: Transit Planners Say It’s Too Costly (WPLN-Radio)
How much would it cost to build a monorail that runs from Nashville to Murfreesboro? Transit planners already decided it would be too expensive to be practical, back in 2007. But despite that assumption, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is studying the idea at the request of a state Senator from fast-growing Rutherford County. While TDOT officials laughed off the concept when it came up in the legislature, they’ve now had to hire a consultant for $25,000 to get a rough estimate. Senator Bill Ketron says he’s serious about building a monorail down the median of I-24.
Wine-in-grocery-stores backers start drive in Tennessee (Tennessean/Sisk)
The push to put wine in grocery stores entered its second phase Monday, as supporters launched a statewide campaign to get the issue on the November ballot. Red White and Food kicked off an effort to collect hundreds of thousands of signatures in the 156 communities where wine could be sold in grocery stores, if voters approve. The campaign comes after the General Assembly approved a wine-in-grocery-stores measure after years of legislative battles that pitted supermarkets against the state’s politically powerful liquor stores and wholesalers. “The bill’s passage was just the beginning of the process,” said Melissa Eads, a spokeswoman for Kroger. “The campaign is far from over.”
Red White and Food kicks off wine sales petition drive (News-Sentinel/Blackerby)
George Ward wants the convenience of one-stopping shopping when he buys chardonnay to go with his pasta. That’s why Ward was quick to sign a petition Monday morning at the Food City on Morrell Road to get the wine referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot in the general election. Red White and Food, the nonprofit organization that supports allowing wine sales in Tennessee’s retail food stores, announced on Monday the launch of its statewide petition campaign that could pave the way for Tennessee grocery and convenience stores to put wine on their shelves.
Wine-in-grocery stores petition campaign kicks off (Memphis Business Journal)
The nonprofit organization Red White and Food, which supports allowing wine sales in Tennessee grocery stores, launched its statewide petition campaign today. The organization held a news conference Monday at the Kroger near Highland and Poplar Avenue. in East Memphis. Red White and Food is holding four similar events around the state. “Kroger is pleased to join many retail food stores to support the wine in retail food stores petition campaign,” said Joe Bell, manager of marketing and public affairs for Kroger’s Delta division. “We look forward to the day when our customers can buy wine where they shop for groceries.”
Petitions circulating to put wine on ballot and in stores in Tennessee (H-C)
Margy Clark was leaving Food City with her groceries Monday when she was asked to sign a petition that would place a measure on the ballot to allow wine sales in grocery stores. She signed the petition and pledged her support for the effort. “I’d like to see wine in grocery stores like in Virginia,” the Kingsport resident said. In March, Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill that allows grocery stores and convenience stores to sell wine within municipal limits with voter approval. Grocery and convenience stores across the state are beginning a concerted effort to get the measure on the November ballot. To do so, 10 percent of the number of people who voted in the last gubernatorial election must sign the petition.
Wine-in-grocery-stores advocates launch effort to include issue on Nov. ballot (T-N)
Wine-in-grocery-stores (WIGS) advocates formally kicked off their petition drives Monday to get WIGS referendum measures on the November 4 election ballot all across Tennessee. Food City President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Smith said the petition drives will happen at more than 50 Food City locations in East Tennessee, but he also recognized competitors who want to sell wine at the retail level.
Group leads charge to gather signatures for wine sales in grocery stores (WRCB)
A state-wide non-profit organization has teamed up with a southern supermarket giant to launch a petition campaign across the state to sell wine in grocery stores. Publix Supermarkets and Red White and Food had a news conference Monday at the Hixson store to discuss the petition collection and approval process. While the wine sales in supermarkets bill was passed by Tennessee legislators in the 2014 session and signed into law by Gov. Bill Haslam, local voters must still approve the sales in local referendums.
Petition drives underway to get ‘wine in grocery’ referendum on ballot (WREG)
Don’t be surprised if the next time you go grocery shopping, you’re asked to sign a petition regarding the sale of wine in grocery stores. A nonprofit organization called “Red White and Food” kicked off its petition drive Monday in several grocery stores. “Red White and Food” supports allowing wine sales in Tennessee’s retail food stores. The organization wants to get enough signatures in Shelby County and across Tennessee to force a November referendum allowing the sale of wine in grocery stores One of the petition locations in Memphis is the new Kroger store at Poplar and Highland.
Push To Add Wine In Grocery Stores To November Ballot (WPTY-TV Memphis)
Members of the ‘Red, White and Food’ coalition are on a mission to get signatures. But it’s a little complicated. The “wine in grocery stores” petition process works like this. In Shelby County, supporters must petition for separate referendums in each of the seven cities and the unincorporated part of the county too. So it’s not just about getting enough signatures in Memphis. “You’ve got to get enough signatures in Collierville, Germantown, Bartlett, Arlington, etc. So it’s a little more complicated than it might be in other parts of the state,” Joe Bell from Kroger said. Also, petitions must be signed by the registered voter in that particular town.
The push is on to bring wine to grocery stores; not everyone in favor (WMC-TV)
The push is on to bring wine to grocery stores to Memphis. On Monday, advocates gathered at Kroger on Union Avenue to help make it happen in the metro areas. Despite a major push for sales, not everyone is in favor of bringing wine to grocery stores. “Kroger customers have said they’ve wanted it over and over, the research has said they wanted it. It just takes a while to get any legislation passed that deals with alcohol,” said Joe Bell. Tennessee State Lawmakers passed legislation early this year allowing wine in grocery stores starting in 2016, if voters in local municipalities approve it.
Cohen Challenges Haslam on Medicaid Expansion (Memphis Daily News)
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen says the city’s fair share of federal funding for rape kit backlogs is $1 million. But Cohen told the Frayser Exchange Club last week that he wants more than that once Congress approves the legislation. “If we get our fair share, we’ll get over a million dollars of that federal money,” Cohen told the luncheon group of 40 Thursday, June 5, at Sarah Lee’s Kitchen. “We don’t want our fair share. We want more than our fair share.” The Frayser group was one of the latest in a series of stops in this election year before Cohen’s return to Washington this week.
Tennessee VA Facilities Among Longest for Wait Times (Associated Press)
A Veterans Affairs audit has found that two health care facilities in Tennessee have among the nation’s longest wait times for new patients to receive specialist care. New patients at the Middle Tennessee Healthcare System had to wait 71 days for specialist care, ranking sixth-longest among all facilities. The Mountain Home facility near Johnson City ranked ninth, with a wait of 67 days. The audit of 731 VA hospitals and large outpatient clinics around the country found that a 14-day goal for seeing first-time patients was unattainable given the growing demand among veterans for health care and poor planning.
VA says Nashville hospital needs more scrutiny (Tennessean/Wilemon)
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will put its Nashville hospital under greater scrutiny as part of a nationwide effort to revamp a health-care system that made patients wait too long to see doctors. The Tennessee Valley Healthcare System had a new patient average waiting time of 71 days, according to an access audit released today by the VA. A data comparison by USA Today determined the Nashville-based system had the longest waits in the nation. The VA hospital in Nashville is one of four facilities in the state flagged for further investigation. The other three are in Memphis, Chattanooga and McMinnville. In total, 112 of the 731 VA hospital facilities in the country were flagged.
VA’s national problem: 57,000 vets waiting over 90 days for appointments (NBJ)
More than 57,000 veterans nationwide have been waiting for more than 90 days to get a medical appointment through the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to an internal agency audit. Another 63,869 veterans enrolled in the VA health care system over the past decade but still have not been seen for an appointment. The VA said it’s “moving aggressively” to set up appointments for these two sets of veterans. The audit demonstrates that the problems at the Veterans Health Administration go beyond just a few hospitals; they’re systemic.
Veterans audit: ET patients waiting more than two months for appointments (N-S)
The hospital that serves most East Tennessee veterans logged the ninth-longest wait times nationwide for new patients seeking specialty care, a Veterans Affairs Department audit released Monday showed. The audit of 731 VA hospitals and large outpatient clinics around the country found a 14-day goal for seeing first-time patients was unattainable given the growing demand among veterans for health care and poor planning by VA officials. The VA has since abandoned that goal. The VA hospital at Mountain Home, Tenn., near Johnson City scheduled nearly 69,000 appointments during the time period studied.
Auditors say Memphis VA Medical Center needs further review (CA/Collins)
The Memphis VA Medical Center is one of the 81 facilities across the country found to require further review, which means auditors want to look more closely at scheduling problems there. The Veterans Affairs Department said Monday that 97 percent of the 48,998 appointments made in Memphis were scheduled in 30 days or less from the time the appointment was requested. But 3 percent, or 1,697, were scheduled more than 30 days after the appointment was requested. Some 507 appointments took between 61 and 90 days to schedule.
Mountain Home VA ranked 9th worst in nation for wait (Johnson City Press)
A Veterans Affairs audit has found that two health care facilities in Tennessee have among the nation’s longest wait times for new patients to receive specialist care. New patients at the Middle Tennessee Healthcare System had to wait 71 days for specialist care, ranking sixth-longest among all facilities. The Mountain Home facility in Johnson City ranked ninth, with a wait of 67 days. The audit of 731 VA hospitals and large outpatient clinics around the country found that a 14-day goal for seeing first-time patients was unattainable given the growing demand among veterans for health care and poor planning. The VA has since abandoned that goal.
4 Tenn. VA facilities flagged for review, including Memphis location (WMC-TV)
Memphis’ Veterans Affairs Hospital is among four facilities in Tennessee flagged for further review following a nationwide audit. The audit of 731 VA hospitals and large outpatient clinics around the country found that a 14 day goal for seeing first-time patients was unattainable given the growing demand among veterans for health care and poor planning. The VA has since abandoned that goal. The audit found facilities in Memphis, Johnson City, Nashville, and McMinnville were unable to schedule appointments within 30 days for about 7,000 veterans.
Nearly 60,000 Veterans Face Delays Receiving Health Care—VA Audit (WSJ)
Nearly 60,000 veterans are waiting to get appointments at the Department of Veterans Affairs and 70% of facilities have used an alternative to official appointment schedules to make wait times appear shorter, according to an internal VA audit released Monday. During a nearly monthlong audit of 731 VA facilities and nearly 4,000 employees, the VA found widespread problems with appointment scheduling and pressure on employees to change data. More than 10% of scheduling staff were given instruction on how to alter patient appointment scheduling, according to the audit.
100,000 veterans face long waits to see VA doctors (USA Today)
Some 100,000 veterans across the country are waiting long periods to see doctors, according to an internal Department of Veterans Affairs audit released Monday. The systematic manipulation of appointments records across the massive veterans health care system to show high performance when there wasn’t any led former secretary Eric Shinseki to resign late last month. It remains unclear how many veterans were harmed by delays in care, although at least hundreds of thousands within a year’s time were forced to wait longer to see a doctor than the ambitious timetable of 14 days established by the agency.
Audit Shows Extensive Medical Delays for Tens of Thousands of Veterans (NYT)
More than 57,000 patients have been waiting more than three months for medical appointments at hospitals and clinics run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and nearly 64,000 others have been enrolled in the system for a decade but have still not been seen by doctors despite their requests, according to a nationwide audit released Monday. The audit of the 731 facilities, including all of the department’s 150 medical centers, provided for the first time a sense of the scope of the widening scandal over delays in care within the sprawling health care system for veterans.
VA Halted Visits to Troubled Hospitals (Wall Street Journal)
The Department of Veterans Affairs stopped sending teams of turnaround experts to underperforming hospitals at the same time a growing number of VA facilities showed consistently high death and complication rates, internal agency records and interviews reveal. Starting in 2011, when the VA instituted a new system to track performance standards, five VA hospitals notched consistently poor scores on a range of critical-care outcomes, including mortality and infection rates. By the first quarter of this year, that bottom-performing group had expanded to at least seven hospitals, records show.
Taxpayers Face Big Medicare Tab for Unusual Doctor Billings (Wall St. Journal)
Ronald S. Weaver isn’t a cardiologist. Yet 98% of the $2.3 million that the Los Angeles doctor’s practice received from Medicare in 2012 was for a cardiac procedure, according to recently released government data. The procedure is rarely used by the nation’s heart doctors. Patients are strapped to a bed with three large cuffs that inflate and deflate rhythmically to increase blood flow through the arteries—a last resort to treat severe chest pain in people who can’t have surgery. The government data show that out of the thousands of cardiology providers who treated Medicare patients in 2012, just 239 billed for the procedure, and they used it on fewer than 5% of their patients on average.
State Lawmakers Tackle Public Health Issues (Stateline)
Four years into implementing the Affordable Care Act, state politicians turned their attention to other pressing health care issues such as preventing drug overdose deaths, limiting e-cigarettes and making medical marijuana more available. States also grappled with the question of who should receive a costly and highly effective cure for hepatitis C. A few states also launched programs aimed at controlling two of the costliest chronic conditions – asthma and diabetes. And throughout the first half of the year, states still debated the highest-profile questions about the ACA: whether to expand Medicaid and how to improve their insurance exchanges.
Chattanooga’s Memorial Hospital unveils $318 million heart center (TFP/Harrison)
One fundraiser called it “the building of dreams.” Over three years, 1,200 tons of steel and 19,000 cubic yards of concrete have been wrought into the new, gleaming face of Memorial Health Care System. The glass-faced, seven-story Heart and Vascular Center is the crowning achievement of the hospital’s $318 million, multi-phase expansion. “It’s an amazing day for Memorial, and it’s an amazing day for cardiac health care in Chattanooga, Tennessee and the entire region,” said Zan Guerry, who helped lead the hospital’s fundraising effort for the expansion.
Memorial Completes $318 Million Expansion (WDEF-TV Chattanooga)
The new Guerry Heart and Vascular Center is hard to miss. It’s seven stories high and comes with an $85 million dollar price tag. Charlie Arant, Board Chair, with Memorial Health Care System, says, “It’s an unbelievable investment in our Chattanooga Community. I mean this is a multi-million dollar facility.” This completes Memorial Care System’s whopping $318 million dollar expansion project. One healthcare provider we spoke with says, “This is really a dream come true for the Chattanooga Heart Institute.”
Landing the big one: BassMaster tournament a $2.5 million-plus impact (TFP/Green)
The biggest thing since the prosecution of John Scopes is here. City leaders are talking about a nearly-unprecedented economic impact and national attention from the BassMaster tournament and inaugural BassFest expo, which starts Wednesday. “I feel good about $2.5 million [in economic impact],” said Mayor Gary Louallen. The 5-day tournament could pump up to $250,000 into tax coffers for the city — which is in the ballpark of what is normally generated in sales taxes in an entire month. Last year, the month of June was the city’s second-biggest month for sales tax money, after December.
Democratic convention could have bumped CMA Music Fest (Tennessean/Cass)
Bidding for the 2016 Democratic convention could have required moving that year’s CMA Music Festival and cost Nashville tens of thousands of hotel room nights that are already booked, the city’s tourism chief said. The Tennessean reported last weekend that the city had decided not to pursue the political convention due to what the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. called “a significant volume of booked business.” Butch Spyridon, the CVC’s president and CEO, said today that Democratic Party officials gave cities a window of possible dates from early August to mid-September 2016.
Williamson commission approves $40M for 3 new schools (Tennessean/Page)
Williamson County commissioners tonight unanimously approved the initial $40 million needed to start construction on three new county schools. Ground clearing already is underway for Nolensville High School, Mill Creek Elementary and Mill Creek Middle schools on about 100 acres owned by the school district near the corner of York and Nolensville roads. The schools are projected to open by fall 2016. The schools’ overall completion will cost roughly $80 million, and the district will request the remaining $40 million later in the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. County Mayor Rogers Anderson has said he wants to wait until the fall to arrange financing for the project.
Coffee County schools sue for liquor revenues (Times Free-Press/Benton)
Coffee County Schools has filed a lawsuit against Manchester and Tullahoma, Tenn., to recover more than $500,000 in liquor tax revenue owed to the system going back to the 1980s. Coffee is among several county school systems across the state seeking the liquor-by-the-drink tax money owed by municipalities where liquor is sold. A state attorney general opinion issued in February sides with county schools in the dispute. “The money that was paid to the cities of Manchester and Tullahoma was to be distributed partially to Coffee County Schools and that was not done dating back almost 35 years,” said Eric Burch, the attorney hired by the Board of Education to file last month.
Giles County left cleaning up from dangerous meth sites (WSMV-TV Nashville)
Authorities in Giles County are investigating after finding two meth sites, including one near a school. And one site is so dangerous no one even knows how much it will cost to clean up. Add to that the timing. In 21 days, law enforcement believes a lot of the money for meth cleanup will be gone, so there is a question about who will then get the bill. Walter Chavez is now under arrest for allegedly cooking a lot of meth in his rented garage apartment across the street from Minor Hill Elementary School. “Luckily school was out,” said Giles County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Nations.
OPINION
Editorial: More procedural hoops to jump through for supporters of wine sales (CA)
Maybe it is just fate, but wine sales in grocery stores are facing yet another cumbersome obstacle. The latest procedural hoop those who want this consumer convenience will have to jump through arises from a decision by state election officials that separate referendum votes must be held in each Shelby County city and in the unincorporated area of the county if residents of those jurisdictions want wine to be sold in food stores there. Lobbyists and advocates who waged a multiyear fight for a new state law authorizing grocery-store wine sales believed the legislation required just a single countywide vote in counties like Shelby, where liquor stores and liquor-by-the-drink are legal countywide.
Guest columnist: TennCare dental program boosts access (Tennessean)
Health care is rapidly changing. As we move toward higher quality care and better access to that care, while implementing cost-saving measures in the process, I see this as an exciting time. These are changes we’re supposed to lead in order to provide the best care possible for patients. We are seeing firsthand how a few changes can positively benefit patients through the TennCare dental program, which is working well under DentaQuest’s management and serves 750,000 children statewide. DentaQuest was tasked by TennCare to establish a new network of dentists from the ground up to meet the state’s requirements for access, while also ensuring maximum quality and efficiency in how members receive, and providers deliver, dental care.
Guest columnist: Tennessee should take a gamble on gaming (Tennessean)
As a Tennessee attorney, I am somewhat of an anomaly. Over the past few years, through research, collaboration with out-of-state attorneys and counseling with private Indian reservations, I’ve learned a great deal about casino gaming law while residing in one of the few states that prohibits gaming. The further I delve into the practice, the more I believe Tennessee is not far from bringing the gaming debate to the forefront. A few weeks ago, I spoke at the Mid-American Gaming Congress in Ohio, a state that only recently legalized casino gaming. Did it plan to be a gaming state? No, but it was suffering from the economic downturn that continues today in many parts of Tennessee.
