Good morning, Nashville. We’re probably almost as sick of reading/hearing about the swine flu as you are, so as our gift to you on this Friday, we mined and dug until we found a small handful of stories that actually don’t mention it:

• Don’t ever let us go, Sully. We’re mighty proud of Steve Sullivan, who’s in the running for the NHL’s Masterton trophy–an award given to the player showing the most perseverance in hockey. Sully’s back injury kept him out of commission for nearly two years before he returned to the ice this past February.
• Sign us up. The other day, we learned that the TVA was thinking about scraping up all the toxic sludge in Kingston and dumping it in some other part of Roane County. They’re now also considering spreading it over to Cumberland County.
• District 18 election results. The District 18 Showdown of Doom for Keith Durbin’s old Metro Council seat is finally over, and Kristine LaLonde won by a landslide (or actually just  672 – 476).
• Childcare help on the way. The State of Tennessee has about $42 million set aside to help out working families who are having a tough time affording childcare. Recipient families will be nominated by their childcare provider and each licensed provider gets a certain number of scholarships to dole out depending on the size of the center.
• Because it’s Friday. And finally, an unrelated adorable video of a weird animal getting tickled.

Photo by neuski.