Good morning, Nashville. You may have noticed the gas prices quietly crawling up over the past few weeks and as of this week, they’ve hit a 15-month high averaging $2.65 per gallon in the midstate. Experts say that it has a lot to do with this cold weather we’ve been seeing and the fact that we’re all using more gas now that the economy is slowly getting better. Though everyone seems to doubt it’ll get as bad as the Nashville Gas Crisis Of Aught Eight, we can’t help but get a little nervous every time prices spike 10 or 15 cents overnight.

• New rules for teachers. Governor Phil has introduced a new bill for education overhaul this week which would, among other things, change the way that tenured teachers are fired. Previously, every school district in the state besides Metro and Memphis used local school boards to decide. The bill would mandate that neutral third-party officers would make the call.
• Did you know? Vandy basketball player Festus Ezelli, who towers over the court at 6’11”, had apparently never even heard of basketball when he moved here for school from Nigeria five years ago. Since then, he’s made some huge strides in the game and become one of the school’s rising stars.
• Bits & pieces. John and Joan Rich had their baby boy over the weekend, and remember when we told you they were naming the kid Cash? We weren’t kidding … Some women in middle Tennessee are turning to mammogram parties to make exams seem less scary … An Associated Press analysis found that the stimulus program had no effect on the unemployment rates.

Photo by Neuski.