Bright & Early: Kettling Edition

Good morning, Nashville. Yet again we’re running late, so here is your abbreviated Bright & Early.

• The latest on Bemont University’s #soccercoachgate: Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher delivered a very brief statement to media last night for the first time since women’s soccer coach Lisa Howe left her position last week. In the statement, he emphasized that “Sexual orientation has not been considered when making hiring, promotion, or dismissal decisions at Belmont.” He did not take any questions and declined to discuss Coach Howe’s specific case, citing “strict policies regarding the discussion of personnel matters.” [WKRN, Belmont Vision]
• The Titans take on the Indianapolis Colts tonight, so watch out for traffic and road closures! [Tennessean]
• A big ol’ power outage whipped through downtown Franklin last night, leaving over 9,000 people without power for a little over an hour. The good news is, it’s fixed now! [WTVF]
• As Opry Mills stores continue to migrate south and west, Williamson and Wilson counties are seeing an increase in sales tax collection. There has been no movement on the Opry Mills front, as the mall is still locked in a legal battle with their insurance company over insurance payments for restorations. [WKRN]
• Speaking of sales tax, Tennessee’s sales tax collections exceeded estimates for the 8th month in a row, bringing in $15 million more than November’s projections. Good news for the economy!
• You can rest easy (or at least a little easier) on your morning commute, now that your MTA bus drivers have all of their cell phones locked up in tiny little magnetic boxes. [WKRN]
• For the third year in a row, someone dropped a gold coin in a Salvation Army kettle in Clarksville. This year’s coin is valued up to $1,500! Aw, we’ve got the warm fuzzies. [WTVF]

Photo by gordon (TD8316).