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12:58pm

Wed February 1, 2012
State Attorney General Appealing Case

Fisk Art Sale Case Back in Court...Again

Credit Rufus W. Holsinger

NASHVILLE, Tenn (AP/WMOT) — The state of Tennessee is appealing an appeals court ruling in a dispute over Fisk University's effort to generate cash from an art collection donated to the school by the late painter Georgia O'Keeffe.

O'Keeffe stipulated that the collection could not be sold or broken up. But Fisk has argued it needs to complete a $30 million deal to sell a 50 percent stake in the collection to the Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Ark.

Here's what Tennessee Attorney Bob Cooper told WMOT about the case.

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12:42pm

Wed February 1, 2012
Plant Currently Employees 2500 Plus

VW Hires 200 More Workers for Chattanooga Plant

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Volkswagen is creating another 200 jobs at its Chattanooga assembly plant as production increases.

A plant spokesman says that the positions are needed as production capacity increases from 31 to 35 cars per hour.

The new jobs will be integrated into Volkswagen's current two-shift operation and filled by full-time Volkswagen employees.

The Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga currently employs more than 2,500 people, about 2,000 by Volkswagen and 500 by staffing partner Aerotek.

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12:29pm

Tue January 31, 2012
Sheriff's Use of 287(g) Program Questioned

Tenn. Supreme Court Will Consider Immigration Status Checks

NASHVILLE, Tenn (AP) - The State Supreme Court will decide whether the Nashville's sheriff's office violated the Metro Charter when it entered into an agreement with federal immigration authorities.

Attorney Elliott Ozment sued the department in January 2011 on behalf of three Nashville residents affected by the 287(g) program. That program allows deputies to investigate the immigration status of inmates.

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12:22pm

Tue January 31, 2012
Wharton - an "all-out assault on Memphis."

Memphis Mayor Wharton Calls Legislation Racist

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.  (WMOT)  --  Memphis Mayor A. C. Wharton says two bills introduced in the Tennessee legislature yesterday smack of “racism, classism, and schoolyard bullying.”

The measures would hem the city in by limiting its ability to annex surrounding communities.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal says the bills were introduced by three east Shelby County Republicans.  One of the measures was introduced by Sen. Mark Norris and Rep. Curry Todd, both of Collierville; the other by Norris and Rep. Ron Lollar of Bartlett.

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12:12pm

Tue January 31, 2012
$127 Million Science Building Proposed for MTSU

Governor's Budget Proposal Good News for Tenn. Higher Education

Credit Thomas Miller & Partners PLLC

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) —Gov. Bill Haslam delivered his annual State of the State address to the Tennessee General Assembly last night.

Haslam spent much of the 40 minute speech laying out his budget plans for the upcoming fiscal year. The governor's more than $31 billion proposal relies on rebounding revenues to avoid more drastic cuts the state would have faced otherwise.

Among other proposals, the governor is calling for raises for state employees, more spending on construction on college campuses and tax cuts on food and inheritance.

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12:34pm

Mon January 30, 2012
Tennessee Ranks 8th Nationally in Drug Overdoses

Tenn. Drug Overdose Deaths Triple

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee's death rate from drug overdoses has nearly tripled since 1999, a trend that state officials are hurrying to tackle with expanded regulations.

The proposals include one from Gov. Bill Haslam that would require doctors and pharmacists to consult a controlled substance database before writing or dispensing such prescriptions. State Sen. Ken Yager of Harriman tells The Tennessean he believes new state regulations will help reduce drug overdose deaths.

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