Wednesday, September 9th

The Chattanoogan- The Bradley County Commission, after an impassioned plea by Commissioner Dan Rawls, voted 14-0 on Tuesday night to ask Gov. Bill Haslam and the Tennessee General Assembly to defund Planned Parenthood. The commission also voted down a move by Commissioner Thomas Crye to ask the General Assembly to put the Insure Tennessee program into place. He said some 6,000 Bradley County residents would be affected. Commissioner Rawls also had an adamant stance on that issue, saying that Senator Mike Bell told him that as many as 480,000 might qualify for the program – up from an earlier 280,000. He said, “The cost is going to be astronomical. This is not free money. It’s borrowed money.” Commissioner Rawls said the last time Tennessee had a Medicaid expansion “it almost bankrupted the state. It had to remove 170,000 people from the program.” In the end, not even Commissioner Crye voted for the motion. Also during the meeting, commissioners voted to give Louie Alford yet another term as chairman. Commissioner Terry Caywood nominated Bill Winters for vice chairman. However, current Vice Chairman Jeff Yarber got 12 votes to stay in place. The commission voted to accept the bid of $66,880 by Ooltewah Nursery for irrigation at Elrod Park. The panel approved the sale of 11.2 acres of county property on Minnis Road for $132,000. The commission approved a third amendment to the contract with Santek Environmental for the operation of the landfill, which increases the tonnage limitation from 200,000 tons to 400,000 tons. It also increases the amount of host fees and creates a community involvement committee. Commissioner Crye withdrew a motion to provide animal pickup. The Chattanoogan reports- Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson said he will meet this week with Mr. and Mrs. Neal Keller, the parents of Joseph Keller, who has been missing for over a month in Colorado. The meeting is designed to update area media about information in the mysterious disappearance and will take place on Thursday at 2 p.m. in Sheriff Watson’s office at the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office. Mr.and Mrs. Keller and members of their family have spent many weeks, searching the isolated section of Colorado where the 19-year-old was last seen in late July. “The Keller family is in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult and frustrating time. We all know Joe as an outstanding young man.” CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The three finalists for Cleveland’s next police chief will be interviewed today — and the public is invited to watch the process. The finalists, identified by Cleveland Assistant City Manager Melinda Carroll, are Jessie Brooks, a captain with the Tennessee Highway Patrol; Timothy Christol, Red Bank police chief; and Mark Gibson, who has been interim chief since March. The interviews will begin at 9 a.m. and will be conducted in the Police Service Center courtroom by a panel that includes City Manager Janice Casteel, law enforcement consultant Larry Wallace, Lee University President Dr. Paul Conn and Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce board President Robert Bradney. Members of the public may not attend the interviews in person, but will be able to view them via live broadcast in the City Council Room of the Cleveland Municipal Building, The Times Free Press- Another employee of the City of Cleveland, Tenn., is in the spotlight after his arrest this weekend. Cleveland firefighter Cody Vaughn was arrested earlySunday morning and charged with public intoxication and providing or enticing a female minor to consume alcohol. The 22-year-old pleaded not guiltyTuesday to the charges in Bradley County General Sessions Court. A hearing is set in the case for Sept. 24. City Manager Janice Casteel said he will remain on duty until an internal investigation is concluded. Tenth Judicial District Attorney Steve Crump said his office will treat Vaughn’s case the same as any other. The Cleveland Daily Banner (update on story from yesterday) Gov. Bill Haslam will make his second visit to Cleveland in as many weeks Wednesday, as he continues his tour around the state to discuss Tennessee’s transportation and infrastructure needs. The tour, which started in early August, brings the governor along with Tennessee Department of Transportation?Commissioner John Schroer to meet with officials and area residents concerning the state’s transportation and infrastructure needs. Discussions will focus on the functionality and capacity of Tennessee’s state roads and highways, safety issues around roads and bridges, and the impact infrastructure has on economic development efforts in urban and rural communities. The session will be held at the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, beginning at 1:15 p.m. Media General is buying Meredith Corp. in an approximately $2.4 billion cash-and-stock deal. The combined company, called Meredith Media General, will have 88 television stations in 54 markets and media brands including Better Homes and Gardens, Allrecipes, Parents and Shape. Meredith shareholders will receive cash and stock valued at $51.53 per share. That’s a 12 percent premium to the company’s Friday closing price of $45.94. Media General stockholders will own about 65 percent of the combined company, while Meredith shareholders will own approximately 35 percent. Meredith CEO Steve Lacy will serve as CEO and president of the combined company. The board will include 12 members, eight appointed by Media General Inc. and four by Meredith. Media General Chairman J. Stewart Bryan III will serve as chairman of the combined business. Meredith Media General will maintain corporate and executive offices in Des Moines, Iowa and Richmond, Va. Meredith is based in Des Moines, while Medial General is based in Richmond, Va. The companies expect more than $80 million in total savings within the first two years after the transaction closes. Both companies’ boards approved the deal, which is targeted to close by June 30, 2016. It still needs approval from Meredith and Media General shareholders and the Federal Communications Commission. Meredith shares rose $4.31, or 9.4 percent, to $50.26 in morning trading Tuesday while Media General added 17 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $11.32. * Meredith owns WFLI-TV53 in Cleveland, Tenn., along with WSMV in Nashville, WHNS in Asheville, N.C., and WGCL in Atlanta. * Median General owns three TV stations in Tennessee — WJHL, the CBS affiliate in the tri-cities; WKRN, the ABC affiliate in Nasvhille and WATE, the ABC affiate in Knoxville.