Haslam withholds Pilot income amid GOP disclosures (Associated Press)

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam has released a personal financial accounting that omits the income he gets from the well-known family business, Pilot Corp. Two of his three major Republican opponents, District Attorney Bill Gibbons of Memphis and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga, fully disclosed their income and taxes for the past three years. State Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey of Blountville provided his basic Form 1040 from his federal tax returns. The candidates were asked to voluntarily release their federal tax returns and related schedules and forms for 2006, 2007 and 2008 for a report by the Tennessee Newspaper Network -- a collaboration of The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Commercial Appeal and The Tennessean -- published Sunday. Haslam, the Knoxville mayor, is a part owner of Pilot, his family's Knoxville-based fuel marketing firm that operates more than 300 gas stations in 40 states. Haslam's total annual income, outside of Pilot, has averaged about $6.6 million for the past three years, according to a report prepared by his accountant.

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Washington,D.C.  

Local leaders and first responders are on the front lines of homeland security preparedness and response.  Before the President or even a governor declares a disaster, the local county executive who is the first one on the ground to recognize and declare a situation to be a disaster.  To meet their ever growing emergency management communication needs, the County Executives of America has established an interoperable communications network, The County Executives’ Television Network (CETN), which will provide county executives and first responders with a two way satellite communications systems to make available state of the art training courses in order to prepare and respond to the wide range of emergencies they tackle every day.
The County Executives of America (CEA) has designed a communications system based on a system already in use by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Directorate (“CBP”). The proposed system is based off of an existing encrypted satellite delivery system.  This system will provide local officials and first responders with secured two way satellite communications 24/7. Satellite infrastructure allows for communications throughout emergency situations, including loss of electrical power (where auxiliary power is available). 
CEA has already established an online version of CETN.  Satellite infrastructure will provide a reliable broadband communication connection to emergency management officials, delivering this tool to those in rural or underserved areas where broadband is otherwise inaccessible or unaffordable. The satellite infrastructure will also supplement existing broadband connections, especially in times of emergency.
The County Executives’ Television Network will provide local leaders and first responders the most current training in their respective fields.  The latest in law enforcement, fire, health and emergency management procedures and tactics will be provided to first responders via a web-based learning management system.  Local leaders will be able to access training on how to best respond to emergencies as varied as natural disasters, pandemics, or terrorist activities.  Additionally, the training platform can also be used by local leaders to provide communities with job retraining to support the local economy.
In September 2009, CEA will launch an online version of CETN to provide communications and training capabilities to local officials.  However, to ensure that local county officials and first responders have access to the complete robust communications’ capabilities of the secure satellite system, federal assistance is needed.  Federal support can ensure that state, local and federal leaders can stay connected in times of emergency, including when terrestrial-based communications fail.
CEA recommends a federal pilot program that would provide CETN satellite communications capabilities to several local communities to demonstrate the system’s capabilities and feasibility.  The pilot will create a means for evaluation, demonstrate the best way for DHS and localities to communicate and identify areas where improvement is needed for a national network. Contact Michael Griffin, Executive Director of CEA at 202-628-3585 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The CETN website is http://cetn.criticalinfonet.com

Cherokee Forest grows by 1,278 acres (Associated Press) 

The Cherokee National Forest has acquired 1,278 additional acres in Unicoi County from the Conservation Fund for $5 million. The fund, a nonprofit organization, is holding the land until money is available to make more transfers possible. The U.S. Forest Service made the purchase. According to The Greeneville Sun, The Conservation Fund has a lease agreement with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to manage the property. The national forest encompasses 640,000 acres stretching from Bristol to Chattanooga.

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The UT County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) is providing a new link on its website (www.ctas.tennessee.edu) to highlight for Tennessee county officials information about the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), commonly referred to as the federal stimulus package. Complementing what is available at the federal and state levels through www.recovery.gov and www.tnrecovery.gov, this CTAS page will provide frequent updates on county grant and financial information as they become available.

The information is being provided in a coordinated effort involving CTAS and the Tennessee County Services Association, Tennessee County Commissioners Association, Tennessee County Highway Officials Association and the Association of County Mayors of Tennessee.

        The Tennessee county ARRA link can be found on the right-hand side of the CTAS homepage, at www.ctas.tennessee.edu.