The International Agency for Research on Cancer last week placed tanning beds in its highest cancer-risk category — carcinogenic to humans — based on its review of more than 20 studies. The analysis showed the risk of melanoma is 75 percent higher for those who begin using tanning devices before [...]
The Montgomery County Commission on Monday night voted to give the Red Cross $8,000 and the Salvation Army $10,000. These match the City Council's appropriations to the agencies.
Some people argue that the government at the local level shouldn't be contributing to charities, particularly since some will be chosen' [...]
The Save Our Doughboy project is making progress.
You may have read the July 31 story that Clarksville Fire Rescue firefighter Scott Wise will be in charge of the renovation work for the city's statue of a World War I soldier whose face and overall head is in [...]
The Save Our Doughboy project is making progress.
You may have read the July 31 story that Clarksville Fire Rescue firefighter Scott Wise will be in charge of the renovation work for the city's statue of a World War I soldier whose face and overall head is in [...]
On Tuesday, German Paul Biedermann scored a victory over American Michael Phelps in the 100-meter freestyle in the world swimming championships. Biedermann broke Phelps' world record and finished more than a second ahead of him.
The German swimmer is wearing a new suit made of buoyancy-enhancing, friction-reducing polyurethane. Phelps was' [...]
Attorney General Robert Cooper has issued an opinion that a Tennessee ban on weapons at school events overrules a new law that allows handguns in parks. Handgun owners, even those with a permit to carry, cannot take their firearm into an athletic or recreation facility when a school is using [...]
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is one of eight hospitals across the country that will test the swine flu shots. The clinical trials are considered essential in helping the government to decide whether to offer swine flue vaccine to millions of Americans starting in mid-October.
For the first set of [...]
On Tuesday, the Senate voted to halt production on the F-22 Raptor fighter jets. President Obama wants to shift federal spending to smaller F-35 joint Strike Fighters.
The U.S. already has built or is building 187 of the stealth technology fighters. The $1.75 billion stripped from the defense policy [...]
According to the Associated Press, Los Angeles spent $1.4 million to provide security, traffic control and other services for Michael Jackson's memorial service. The amount included $1.1 million in overtime pay for the 4,173 officers who worked to secure Staples Center, Forest Lawn cemetery and other areas that attracted fans [...]
Today, on ABC's "Good Morning America," Sarah Palin said that she realized her surprise resignation as governor of Alaska might hurt her political staying power. "I said before ... 'You know, politically speaking, if I die, I die. So be it,'" she said.
Not that she's asking for advice, but [...]
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court found that the city of New Haven, Conn., wrongly discarded results of a firefighter promotion test after whites outscored blacks and Hispanics. Beyond the ruling's implications for the workplace, it could have implications for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who is President Barack Obama's choice [...]
This one is for any fans who may be online. If you didn't like his music or him, we have comment space under the story about his death in which to give your opinion.
Thanks!
' [...]According to a study by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Cox Communications, one in five teens with cell phones will send out sexually explicit photos of themselves – called sexting – even though they know it can be dangerous. Eighty percent of those sexting were under [...]
Last night, Jon and Kate Gosselin announced on their TV reality show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" that they were getting a divorce after 10 years of marriage. They have 5-year-old sextuplets and 8-year-old twins.
Few marital breakdowns are as public as this one. No doubt that having eight young [...]
The Tennessee Valley Authority is considering whether to bring a Babcock & Wilcox Co. mini nuclear reactor to Tennessee to generate electricity. TVA will examine a 1,300-acre site in Oak Ridge where the Clinch River Breeder Reactor was to be built in the 1980s.
The reactor is about one-tenth the [...]
During the waning days of the legislative session, the Tennessee Senate took up discussion of a $2,500 privilege tax on every athlete who plays for the Predators in Nashville and for players on visiting teams. There would be a three-game cap of $7,500 for the season.
Other states with pro [...]
Last night on ABC's World News tonight, there was a report on a new video game called "Six Days in Falluja," which has disturbed some veterans and military families because it is based on an actual fight for the city of Fallujah in Iraq. One mother of a fallen Marine [...]
One of the plans for health care reform, promoted by Sen. Edward Kennedy, would require that all Americans who are financially able to buy health coverage. Those who couldn't afford coverage would receive it so that Americans would receive near-universal coverage. Private insurers would have to cover people with pre-existing' [...]
Last week, Nancy Reagan unveiled in the Capitol Rotunda a 7-foot statue of the 40 president of the United States, Ronald Reagan.
At one time there was a move to officially honor President Reagan in every county in the United States by naming roads, bridges, schools and so forth after [...]
I've mentioned in past posts that we were going to get a new tool that would enable us to pre-moderate story comments on selected stories. We now have it and have been using that tool for the Gilbert Hart murder stories yesterday and today.
Previously, we've only be able to [...]
While working at a youth football camp in Baltimore, Titans player Vince Young told a local TV station there that the team should either play him or trade him. The Titans declined to comment.
Young lost his starting job to Kerry Collins, a 16-year veteran, in the first game of [...]
The French want to keep the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion at Normandy primarily a celebration between them and the Americans - so much so that the Queen of England (who actually served in uniform as a volunteer mechanic during the war and is Great Britain's head of state) [...]
The Leaf-Chronicle received this e-mail from Norman Walters of Elizabethtown, Ky. He originally sent it to the News Enterprise in Hardin County, Ky. He thought readers here might be interested because of the military connection. Send me a PM if you would like to contact him directly. - Alane
On Friday, the Opinion page of The Leaf-Chronicle will be devoted to the three-day stand down at Fort Campbell so that commanders can address the ongoing tragedy of soldiers killing themselves.
From January through March, our local post was averaging one suicide per week. There were no suicides in [...]
Analysts say North Korea's second underground nuclear test shows it's on its way to developing a nuclear weapon that eventually can be delivered on a missile. It apparently still needs to further refine miniaturization technology to mount a warhead on a missile, but that's not insurmountable.
It's also possible that [...]
Yes, the blogs mystery has been solved, at least in one case. Because the blogs are linked to your persona – your personal profile and information about where you have been on our Web site – you must keep the persona setting as "public" in order for the blog to [...]
Despite living in this digital age, the comics page in the newspaper remains one of the most popular features. We've been looking at our page, however, and wondering if it could stand an update.
We haven't changed anything since the '90s, when Jumpstart and Dilbert were added. Since then, two' [...]
State Sen. Ophelia Ford and Rep. Karen Camper, both Memphis Democrats, would establish the first Tennessee license plate for a specific religious denomination or faith - the Church of God in Christ. Moreover, all extra fees collected from the sale of COGIC license plates would be directed exclusively to the [...]
Under a measure sponsored by Sen. Dewayne Bunch of Cleveland and passed by the House and Senate, state and local governmental entities would recognize diplomas issued by home schools and church-related schools as having the same rights and privileges of diplomas issued by public school systems. Home schooled students would [...]
This is taken directly from today's Tennessean:
"Under the bill, voters would decide whether to "replace" or "retain" state appellate and Supreme Court judges, instead of voting yes or no on their retention.
"If voters decided to replace a judge, the governor would appoint an interim judge until the next [...]
The federal government is warning that both Social Security and Medicare are headed for insolvency years before previously predicted. Medicare already is paying out more money than it receives. The same will occur for Social Security by 2016.
By 2017, Medicare will be insolvent, according to predictions. For Social Security, [...]
Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, says there are "some things you should never do to another human being." He includes torture on the list and cites the Bible and the Declaration of Independence to back him up.
But, a new [...]
[...] Some vacationers say they will keep their plans to travel to Mexico regardless of the swine flu scare. Others are rebooking their trips to other warm-weather countries without the flu epidemic.
What do you think? Should people continue on with their plans? Would you? At what point – if ever [...]
You may have noticed that in the last few days, Private Messaging has been available on the Web site. It's simple to use.
First off, you need to be registered on the site and signed in. From there. go to your persona page by clicking on your photo in the [...]
Both Digital Editor Thomya Jenkins and I are more than aware of a problem that is occurring on TheLeafChronicle.com. That is, some blogs on conservative issues have been disappearing from the Latest Community Blogs list.
None of us at The Leaf-Chronicle has been doing anything to "move" these blogs off [...]
Today is Earth Day. It was founded in 1970 by Sen. Gaylord Nelson, who called for a grassroots demonstration for the environment. There were coast-to-coast rallies on behalf of environmental issues on that day, which is considered the beginning of the modern environmental movement.
Today, the environment – and conservation [...]
During my vacation last week, I decided to finally see what Twitter is all about, since all the "cool kids" were doing it. I starting Tweeting on a personal page I had set up long ago to follow Tweets from a podcast I was listening to. I'm still not convinced' [...]
The Obama administration has said it will, for the first time, become a regular participant with six other countries in talks to bring a diplomatic resolution toward ending Iran's nuclear ambitions. The Bush administration joined in the sessions only once.
What do you think? Could such talks lead to a [...]
Tax deadline day is April 15. If you owe taxes, do you pay up before then or wait until the last minute? Do you figure your own or go a commercial outlet or use computer software? Which program do you think is the best?
Under the proposition that some taxes [...]
On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that a patient who was among those treated with unsterilized equipment had tested positive for HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS. Hepatitis also has been found in more than a dozen patients. Apparently, there's no way to know if their [...]
TheLeafChronicle.com has a new feature that Web site members have been requesting.
You now have Show/Hide Comments flexibility - If you are reading stories on the site, you can choose to hide the comments at the bottom of the stories. Some people prefer to read only the story and [...]
On April 15 across the country, Tea Party rallies will be held to protest the spending of trillions of taxpayer dollars.
According to a post on www.taxdayteaparty.com, Clarksville's tea party will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Agriculture Pavilion at the fairgrounds.
Are you [...]
Today in Tennessee, members of organizations like the Western Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition can approach vendors at flea markets negotiate a surrender of bootleg CDs.
Under a bill in the state Legislature, copyright owners could be fined and jailed if they didn't have law enforcement officers with them during any confiscation' [...]
Today's top story involves the Clarksville Department of Electricity Lightband, which is now in the telecommunication business in addition to its traditional role as electricity provider.
Who is your provider? Are you satisfied with your service? Do you bundle all your services or pick and choose from several providers?
[...]The Insurance Research Council estimated in 2007 that about 20 percent of Tennessee drivers were uninsured. Nationally that year, 13.8 percent of drivers did not have insurance.
With the downturn in the economy, the suspicion is that the number of people who have allowed their insurance to lapse has risen.
[...]
This is one in an occasional "for fun" @issue topics.
Today, USA Today has a story on "American Idol" becoming more vicious as the show grows older – and with ratings off by 9 percent. Last week, the judges raised the hopes of a [...]
Last week, the city's Gas and Water Committee discussed the role of the department and whether it should continue to service county customers.
If its role is to make the most money possible and add the most number of new customers, then continuing to accept county hookups is the way [...]
After first denying it, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., has admitted he went along with a Treasury Department request to dilute an executive bonus restriction in the economic stimulus bill. This move allowed AIG to give bonuses even as the government was bailing the company out. Dodd also is under investigation [...]
The pope recently said that the "scourge" of HIV in Africa could be made worse, not better, by the distribution of condoms.
That contrasts with the UNAids agency that says condoms are a vital part of the battle against HIV.
About 22 million people are living with HIV in [...]
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, children's books published before 1986 may contain lead in the ink that would be considered unsafe for the kids.
Many libraries are ridiculing the recommendation to take the older books off their shelves until the lead level can be determined. Presumably, the lead [...]
The International Code Council recommends that all new homes have sprinkler systems by Jan. 1, 2011. Those supporting the recommendation say a heat-sensitive sprinkler system (not smoke sensitive) can put out a fire in about one minute, 10 seconds. It adds $2,250 to the cost of a 1,800-square-foot house, which, [...]
President Barack Obama signed a $410 billion omnibus spending bill into law this week that contained billions of dollars in earmarks. While on the campaign trail last year, Obama had said the earmarking practice as we know it would end.
Now, he's saying that he and Congress in future will [...]
President Barack Obama has said he's going to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gays in the military. He's also said, however, that he will first consult with the Pentagon and study what effect ending the ban would have on the military.
What do you think the Pentagon [...]
State Sen. Mike Faulk , R-Church Hill filed a bill in the General Assembly that would create a “Repeat DUI Offender” registry of persons who have two or more DUI convictions and whose licenses are currently suspended or revoked. The registry, compiled by the Department of Safety, would be available [...]
Bills have been filed in the state Legislature this session that would change state law and require all voters to declare themselves a Democrat, Republican or independent.
Only registered voters could vote in a primary. Those who were independent couldn't vote in a primary.
Crossing over would be forbidden' [...]
A bill in the state Legislature would require Tennessee voters to show photo identification at the polls. Right now, voters only have to show identification that includes a signature so that it can be compared to the voter registration signature on file.
Those backing the bill say it would deter [...]
The Leaf-Chronicle is trying some new initiatives for the Opinion page. Next up is a reader reaction forum based on responses here @issue.
At least once a week, we want to publish in the newspaper reader response to a question we pose on a topic of general interest here online. [...]
Voters in Oregon and Washington have legalized doctor-assisted suicide. Other states, however, will prosecute those who help terminally ill people to die.
Now, two members of the so-called "Final Exit Network" have been charged with aiding the suicide of a 58-year-old Georgia man who suffered for years from cancer of [...]
Last week, Gov. Phil Bredesen floated the idea that perhaps the state's two higher education oversight boards should be merged. The Tennessee Board of Trustees oversees the University of Tennessee system. The Tennessee Board of Regents oversees the the rest of the state colleges and universities, including Austin Peay State [...]
Both Democrats and Republicans in the state Legislature are looking at a resolution that would set into motion a constitutional amendment limiting abortion. The proposed amendment would remove abortion protections from the state constitution.
Abortion would remain legal under federal court ruling. But should it ever be overturned and abortion [...]
In a case that may be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, a legal challenge is being made regarding the long-standing practice of coaches of some public school athletic teams participating in prayers with their players.
Since a 1962 high court ruling severely restricted public school employees from playing a [...]
President Barack Obama is making his first foreign trip today as chief executive to Canada. That country to our north is our largest trading partner, and Canada is actually our biggest supplier of oil.
One of the president's concerns, however, may lie beyond North America. Canada has decided to pull [...]
Since 1997, state law has allowed for black and white advertisements on the rear panel of school buses. Now, state Sen. Jim Tracy of Shelbyville has introduced a bill at the request of the Tennessee School Board Association that would allow color ads. These possibly could generate $1,500 per bus, [...]
Last week, two people died in separate wrecks on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. I don't want to get into pointing fingers of blame at specific individuals – there was enough of that last week.
Rather, I wanted to look at the safety issue of the parkway itself. Is it' [...]
A Florida jury has decided a 40-year chain-smoker was helplessly addicted to nicotine. The attorneys for the dead smoker's widow says the man became hooked on cigarettes due to deceptive practices by tobacco company Philip Morris. It's not known how much money the attorneys will now seek, but it's expected [...]
You may have noticed that some of the longer articles at TheLeafChronicle.com are now two or more pages long. This was done to help improve readability and reduce scrolling for site users.
Once the article reaches 2,000 characters, there will be a break after the next paragraph, and the [...]
In his State of the State message on Monday, Gov. Phil Bredesen proposed a "solar institute" in Tennessee. He said this would serve as a solar power research lab. He envisions a partnership with the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory that would help to make solar energy [...]
Alex Rodriguez – the Yankees' A-Rod - has confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 – after being outed by Sports Illustrated. He was one of 104 players who tested positive that year in what were supposed to be anonymous tests.
What do you think? Should Rodriguez or any of' [...]
Nadya Suleman, 33, of Whittier, Calif., already was an unemployed, unwed mother of six children when she had six embryos implanted in a fertility procedure. She told the "Today" show she was aware multiple births could result. She ended up having octuplets; two embryos apparently divided.
The number of embryos [...]
The Food and Drug Administration is defending its response the nationwide salmonella outbreak traced back to a Georgia processor. The outbreak has sickened at least 550 people in 43 states, eight of whom have died. More than 1,000 peanut products have been recalled.
The first signs of the outbreak came [...]
Gov. Phil Bredesen has asked state transportation officials to find ways to recycle more of the coal ash waste into roadbeds so that it doesn't have to be stored in ponds.
The governor is looking for alternatives for the ash in light of December's coal ash spill at TVA's Kingston' [...]
On the campaign trail, then-candidate Barack Obama said he would bring in the Joint Chiefs of Staff on his first day as president and order an end to the war in Iraq. Many of his supporters interpreted that as a swift withdrawal.
Yesterday, the new president brought in some top [...]
In 2007, state Rep. Kent Williams, who is now House speaker, faced allegations that he twice sexually harassed a female lawmaker. An official sexual harassment complaint never was filed. A memo regarding the complaints has now surfaced.
Williams was quoted in the allegations as saying, "I will give a weeks [...]
Tennessee doesn't have any laws or rules regarding the use of restraints or isolation for special education students. In 2007 in Sumner County, for instance, special education students were placed in "seclusion boxes" -- 4-by-3½-foot plywood boxes – when they acted up.
Now, the State Board of Education will have [...]
In case you missed Saturday's announcement on the Opinion page, Tom Ritterspacher is The Leaf-Chronicle's first community member of the editorial board.
Tom will be providing an outside voice for the board, which determines the editorial opinions for The Leaf-Chronicle.
Why add a community member? You probably know [...]
Timothy Geithner, President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be Treasury chief, failed to pay $34,000 in self-employment taxes for money he earned from 2001 to 2004 while working for the International Monetary Fund. He didn't pay most of the back taxes until days before Obama picked him.
The president-elect labeled it [...]
This year, state legislators will consider legislation that would to add juveniles convicted of sex crimes to Tennessee's public sex offender registries. The federal government has mandated that states add juveniles or lose some federal law enforcement money from Washington.
What do you think? Should juveniles be added to the [...]
President-elect Barack Obama has asked Congress to consider delaying the transition to digital transmission of TV signals. This only affects those people who get their TV signals over-the-air with a non-digital tuner and who do not yet have a converter box.
Still, it's estimated that millions of Americans – about [...]
In a first of its kind study, the government estimates that at least one in 200 children have decided to avoid meat in their diets. The numbers may be far higher for older teens.
Vegetarians say it is animal welfare – rather than health issues – that cause young people [...]
Animal protection advocates have been trying for more than 10 years to get animal fighting (cock fighting, pit bulls etc.) classified as a felony in this state – which is known as a part of the "cockfighting corridor" -- Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama . To date, the advocates have been [...]
The Congressional Budget Office announced today that the U.S. federal deficit will hit the $1.2 trillion mark for the 2009 budget year. The previous record was $455 billion, set only last year.
Yesterday, President-elect Barack Obama warned of "trillion-dollar deficits for years to come."
The CBO's figures don't take into [...]
Now that former Republican Bill Frist has decided not to run for governor, the hats are flying into the ring among members of the GOP. Congressman Zach Wamp of Chattanooga, District Attorney Bill Gibbons of Memphis and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam all have said they want to be the Republican [...]
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is attempting to fill President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat – the same one he is alleged to have tried to sell. He has appointed Roland Burris to that seat.
The Illinois secretary of state refuses to certify the appointment. Burris has asked the Illinois [...]
I want to wish everyone who reads and contributes to this blog a most Happy New Year! If you make any resolutions, I hope they all are fulfilled. See you soon in 2009. :)
Alane
Recently, I posted a couple of cartoons in this blog and asked you if you would run them in the newspaper. Some people wondered why we needed to agonize over it because they didn't considered it a big deal.
It's amazing, though, how emotional some people get over a [...]
One complaint that Pluck has received throughout the Web sites it serves with SiteLife is that every time there's a new article on the same subject, it generates a new list of story comments. For instance, if Story A today is that the moon will be full, and Story B [...]
This is one of those "sky's the limit" questions. Money is no object in this virtual world. If you are interested a certain gift you really cannot afford, what would it be?
Or do your thoughts tend to drift toward something more altruistic such as Peace on Earth?
Merry [...]President-elect Barack Obama has been a smoker for years. Although he has tried to quit, he also admits to occasionally falling off the wagon. He does, however, promise to adhere to the White House smoking ban.
Should Obama be a role model and quit smoking forever? Should he push for [...]
Although it may seem incredible to those of us who have reached a "certain age," it's not that unusual these days for underage teens to e-mail nude or semi-nude photos of themselves as a way of flirting.
Not surprisingly, this has led to all sorts of problems, especially when the [...]
Every New Year's Day on The Leaf-Chronicle's Opinion page, we list our wishes for Clarksville-Montgomery County.
With the New Year just two weeks away, I thought I would open the blog to your suggestions. What would you like to see improve/ change/ go away in our community in 2009?
[...]We all have words and phrases that irritate us. For me, it is any sentence that includes a reference to drinking Kool-Aid. (My jaw just involuntarily clenched re-reading the phrase)
The phrase has its origins in the mass suicide at Jonestown 30 years ago. Cult leader Jim Jones persuaded [...]
Caroline Kennedy, the only surviving child of President John F. Kennedy, has told N.Y. Gov. David Paterson that she is interested in filling the Senate seat presently held by Hillary Clinton, who will be relinquishing it after she is confirmed secretary of state next year. It's also the seat Caroline [...]
In a split 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that smokers may use state consumer protection laws to sue cigarette makers who used "light" and "lowered tar" in marketing as violations of state laws against deceptive practices. Light cigarettes aren't any healthier than the regular ones because studies show [...]
Today, we have a letter to the editor from a reacer who is upset that we ran a photo of a boy with a deer that he harvested in Wednesday's Leaf-Chronicle.
Here's the letter:
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20081205/OPINION03/812050336
And here's the photo (It did run in black in [...]
