Good morning, Nashville. The Most Dramatic School Rezoning Plan Ever has hit yet another snag, but this one might actually deal the fatal blow. The plan has been in the works for over a year now, and lots of folks have criticized it because they say that it resegregates all the poor kids to the poorer schools in north Nashville. In an attempt to make everyone happy, the planners said that they’d shell out a few million dollars extra to those schools and give teachers a 5% raise. Opponents are now questioning whether that’s even ethical, and furthermore, whether we even have the funds.

• Bye bye Pontiac. As we heard yesterday, GM plans on phasing out the Pontiac brand this year and possibly also Saturn, Saab, and Hummer (please, please, please phase out the Hummer!) Consequently, they’re looking to shut down eleven local dealerships which means a lot of folks will be losing their jobs.
• Don’t TXT and drive, for real. That bill that will make it illegal to text and drive passed the House yesterday, meaning it’s on its way to Governor Bredesen for the final sign-off. If he approves it, which he probably will, it’ll tack a $50 fine onto texting and reading texts while you’re driving.
• Bits & pieces. The Swine Flu is spreading and apparently the US is remaining calm (have they read Twitter?) … Speaking of, the Metro Health Department has a few things to say about the virus … Despite the economy, our housing market is somehow still doing pretty well … Tornado cleanup has already cost Rutherford County $8.3 million.

Photo by Paul Nicholson.