Stories from Thursday, January 11, 2007

Tennessee reaction to President Bush's address to the nation Wednesday night appears to fall more or less along party lines, with Democrats criticizing Bush's proposals while Republicans express cautious optimism. Bush's new strategy increases U.S. forces in Iraq by 21,500 and demands greater cooperation from the Iraqi government...

A month before she's elected as Normandy's next alderwoman, Dr. Beth Meerdink is politically circumspect. She's prudent with remarks on a couple of hot topics: annexation and animal control. The Normandy woman with a veterinary clinic on South Cannon Boulevard in Shelbyville has been identified by Mayor Larry Nee as the unanimous favorite of the town board to succeed Jim Hill who resigned late last year...

A pipeline extension to provide water at new homes on the border between Bedford and Rutherford counties won't be built, according to one of the people who wanted service from Bedford County Utility District. Interest has apparently evaporated among those who could have banded together for a pipe estimated at 1,600 feet, but at a trenching cost of $10 a foot, it's too expensive for one household, Clarence Nelson said Tuesday...

Bedford County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to increase the county's contribution to health insurance for general fund and highway department employees by $30 per month per person, covering this year's increase in individual insurance premiums...