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Ketron says he's cancer free
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NOTE: Bill is a longtime, good friend. Many of us have been praying daily for him and his family (daughter Kelsey, left; wife Theresa, right) since his diagnosis last fall. He is now a Trophy of God's Healing Grace and the answer to many prayers. And we look forward to the return of that beautiful hair!!
Scott Broden, sbroden@dnj.com 6:13 p.m. CDT September 23, 2015
MURFREESBORO - A cancer-free state Sen. Bill Ketron expects to be recovered enough to attend the Oct. 3 Middle Tennessee State University Homecoming football game.
"My goal is the Vanderbilt-MTSU game," Ketron said during a Wednesday phone interview. "That's what I told my doctor. He better get me well, so I can go to the Homecoming game."
A 1976 MTSU graduate who majored in history and political science, Ketron this year has endured treatment for Type B non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
"The initial chemotherapy regimen wasn't quite successful," said Ketron, a Republican from Murfreesboro. "The oncologist said let's go after it and kill the cancer once and for all. That's what we've done."
The doctor's plan meant Ketron recently spending more than three weeks having his stem cells transplanted into his bone marrow at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville.
"It's been successful," Ketron said. "Last Friday, I had a CT scan, which came in totally clear, so I'm very excited about that. A lot of prayers have been answered."
Ketron said he's at home recuperating in isolation until the doctors see that his white-blood-cell count and platelets reach a certain level to ensure that he won't become ill from bacteria, a virus or fungus.
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Judge rules against legalizing assisted suicide in Tennessee
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Lucas L. Johnson II, Associated Press, and Stacey Barchenger, The Tennessean 6:12 p.m. CDT September 29, 2015
A former Democratic gubernatorial candidate who is terminally ill cannot die by assisted suicide, a judge ruled Tuesday, saying doctors engaging in such a practice are committing "criminal conduct."
John Jay Hooker has terminal cancer and has doctors who have expressed a willingness to prescribe him a lethal dosage of painkillers.
State law allows a person to refuse end-of-life care, but so-called aid-in-dying or assisted suicide is illegal in Tennessee. Doctors in Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana can prescribe life-ending drugs, and California lawmakers passed legislation earlier this month that would allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives.
In Tennessee doctors sought protection from prosecution if Hooker was prescribed the drugs.
Chancellor Carol McCoy ruled against the doctors and Hooker. She said they "do not have standing to bring this action."
"The aid-in-dying prescription involves a script for a lethal dose of medication to cause quick death, not to provide palliative care to relieve physical pain and discomfort, as is allowed," McCoy said. "If the physicians intend to provide lethal drugs to end their patients' lives, they engage in criminal conduct."
Hooker, who has fought for civil and constitutional rights for 60 years, is not giving up his fight because of the judge's ruling.
"It is a sad day for the rule of law, and that the judge has claimed that I and others who have a terminal illness don't have legal standing to raise the question about the right of the state to determine whether or not you can take your own life," he said. "The fact is, that's an error."
Hooker's attorney, Hal Hardin, argued in court that a person has a fundamental right to die with a doctor's help under the Tennessee Constitution.
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Haslam prepared to punt gas tax decision
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By Erik Schelzig, Associated Press
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is opening the door to putting off a gas tax increase in an election year, but warns that officials need to stop "kidding ourselves" about Tennessee's growing list of unfunded road projects.
Haslam stressed to reporters after an economic development announcement last week that he has yet to make any specific recommendations about how to begin tackling the $6 billion backlog.
"I mean, nobody wants to have a gas tax," Haslam said. "But what I encourage folks is: Let's look and see what the proposal would be and the road projects that would be impacted by doing something or not doing something."
But with all 99 House seats and 16 of 33 senators up for election in 2016, the governor acknowledged that political considerations could make it difficult to pass the first gas tax increase in more than 25 years.
"If they want to say, hey, it's an election year, let's put it off, we can do that," Haslam said. "But everybody just needs to remember we have a $6 billion backlog of projects, and that's just putting things further back.
The list of prominent Republican opponents of raising the gas tax next year includes House Speaker Beth Harwell of Nashville, Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris of Collierville, Senate Transportation Chairman Jim Tracy of Shelbyville and House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick of Chattanooga.
Tracy told The Associated Press earlier this month that there isn't enough time to put together a comprehensive road funding proposal for the upcoming legislative session in January.
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Record 1,263 TN deaths from opioid overdose in 2014
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Tennessee recorded 1,263 deaths from opioid overdoses in 2014, a record number and well above the number dying in car accidents or gunshot wounds, according to the Tennessean.
"I would like to think the rate of increase has slowed, but quite frankly the 2014 numbers don't really allow me to say that," said David Reagan, chief medical officer of the Tennessee Department of Health. "It is at epidemic proportions in our state."
There were more than 100 deaths in Davidson, Knox and Shelby counties, while 25 other counties had at least 12 deaths. All but four counties had at least one overdose death in 2014.
...Prescription painkillers and heroin are easily attainable illegally on the street. Hydrocodone costs $5-$7 per pill, Percocet is $7-$10 per pill, Oxycodone IR runs $30-$40 per pill, and Oxycontin comes in at about $80 per pill. Heroin is a less-expensive option, costing around $15 per bag, according to data from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
...State Sen. Ken Yager, R-Harriman, was a sponsor of the 2012 legislation and wants the state to take further action. Yager would like to see some funding for addiction in the next budget.
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Sheriff says 'NO' to removal request of Godly slogan on patrol cars
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Victoria Taylor
vtaylor@wbbjtv.com
Story Updated: Sep 22, 2015 at 11:02 PM CDT
HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. -- A watchdog group urges the Henderson County sheriff to remove "In God We Trust" from the department's patrol cars.
On Monday, Henderson County Sheriff Brian Duke said he received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation claiming the phrase has no place on government vehicles.
"The U.S. Supreme Court says it's perfectly legal," Duke said.
Duke said the motto was added to about 20 patrol cars last month.
"A lot of people are going to be against it and a lot of people are going to be for it," Henderson County resident Timothy Lynn Gordon said.
The sheriff tells WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News he doesn't feel he or the department have broken any laws and that he intends to keep the slogan right where it is.
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Governor Bill's really bad summer
The recent woes of Gov. Bill Haslam are rounded up by Richard Locker
for a Sunday review, which begins like this:
Gov. Bill Haslam had a bad summer from a news, public relations and political perspective, and the tough times are carrying over to fall.
He had barely left on a 15-city tour to lay the groundwork for the first gasoline tax increase since 1989 to pay for needed highway and transportation projects before GOP legislative leaders pronounced a tax hike all but dead on arrival for the 2016 legislative session.
His surprise initiative to privatize the management and operation of all state-owned property - including state parks and college campuses - is raising questions and opposition statewide.
Despite assurances from his commissioner of correction, the state prison system is in more trouble than it's been in since it was released from federal court oversight in the 1990s.
The guns-in-parks law that Haslam signed - after years of opposing it - is stirring up confusion and criticism among gun advocates, gun opponents and local governments.
Eight urban and rural school districts have sued the state, charging that state funding for local schools is inadequate. Previous court challenges by local districts forced the state to ante up hundreds of millions more.
A state comptroller's audit uncovered mismanagement in food programs for low-income children overseen by the state Department of Human Services. The director of the $80 million program resigned in July and wrote to federal regulators that the children are at risk due to the DHS's antiquated systems in dealing with hundreds of local agencies that actually feed the kids.
Even the planning for a new $160 million Tennessee State Museum is caught up in controversies involving the museum's acquisitions. The governor's former chief of staff won a $10,000 per month contract to oversee the project's development.
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