Good morning, Nashville. We’ve been hearing a lot about all the state budget cuts (and local budget cuts, and school budget cuts…), but Governor Phil doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence by asserting that “it’s not like we’re slashing state government into ribbons,” and inviting us all to “blame it all on Bredesen” before we’ve even had time to assess the damage. Or even his statement to all the haters: “Fine, if you want a different revenue source — or if you want to cut something else somewhere — I’ve given you a budget, process it. If you want to change it, change it.” We’ll spare you the gory details, but you can read about some of the worst of the cuts over here.
- Magical thinking. Spring Hill GM workers are trying to stay positive about yesterday’s announcement that the plant will be idling indefinitely before the end of the year, noting that at least they’re not closing for good yet, at least they might have a new product to make (the non-SUV), and it could’ve been worse.
- Tut tut, looks like rain. Nashville racked up a soggy 8.45 inches of rain during the month of May, making it the wettest month since September 2003. And don’t be fooled by the blue skies today, either–we may be in for a stormy afternoon.
- Bits & pieces. Metro PD managed to snag 43 people who were driving under the influence last weekend, which is actually more than they caught on Memorial Day weekend … A suspicious liquid showed up in the lobby of a West End synagogue yesterday evening … June is Dairy Month and we’re still sort of bitter that milk is now our official state beverage … An audit revealed that some state funding was used by the Commission for Children and Youth to buy booze for a legislative reception.
Photo by stephenyeargin.
Related posts: