No Lane Closures on Tennessee Highways Labor Day Weekend

Construction Won’t Slow Holiday Travelers

Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Department of Transportation is once again halting all lane closure activity on interstates and state highways for the busy Labor Day holiday travel period. More than 600,000 Tennesseans are expected to travel by car this holiday.

Construction crews will stop all lane closure activity beginning at noon on Friday, September 3rd through 6:00am on Tuesday, September 7th. This will provide maximum roadway capacity for motorists traveling during the busy Labor Day holiday.

“The Labor Day holiday is one of the busiest travel periods of the year,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “As thousands of people hit the road in Tennessee, we want to ensure they get to their destinations quickly and safely without road construction delays.” [Read more]

Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Walker Announces Retirement

Nashville, TN – After 30-plus years of distinguished service in law enforcement, Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Mike Walker today announced plans to retire as commander effective September 2nd, 2010. A career which spanned over three decades, Walker felt it was time to step down and spend more time with his family.

“Colonel Walker has done an extraordinary job restoring the integrity and credibility of the Tennessee Highway Patrol,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. “Under his leadership, the highest standards of professionalism were expected and transparency in dealing with disciplinary issues was ensured. The Colonel has gained the trust and admiration of the department and his legacy will be one of tremendous respect as a State Trooper and leader of the THP.”

[Read more]

July 2010 County Unemployment Rates

Rates decrease in 87 counties, increase in 5, remain the same in 3

Nashville, TN – Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July was 9.8 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from the revised June rate of 10.0 percent. The national unemployment rate for July 2010 was 9.5 percent.

County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for July 2010, released today, show that the rate decreased in 87 counties, increased in 5 counties and remained the same in three counties. [Read more]

Widening Completed on Section of State Route 76

Nashville, TN – Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely joined state and local officials in Stewart County Friday to celebrate the completion of a widening project on State Route 76 (U.S. 79).

The $33 million project widened a 4.6 mile section of the roadway in Dover, joining a previously reconstructed stretch of State Route 76. [Read more]

Tennessee opens rebate program for energy efficient appliance purchases

Applications will be available online at www.e-rebates.org/teearp or by phone at 1-877-741-4304. Eligible appliances include air source heat pumps, central air conditioners, gas furnaces and room air conditioners with the Energy Star designation. Rebates range from $40.00 to $250.00. [Read more]

TBI launches use of Nixle

Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will utilize a new communication service beginning September 1st, 2010 that will carry important alerts and messages directly to the community via the latest technology.

Nixle, a community information service, will allow TBI to create and publish messages to be delivered to subscribed residents instantly via cell phone with text messages and/or email on a handheld device. Notifications can also be accessed online at Nixle’s website at www.nixle.com. Subscribers decide the format to receive messages from TBI. [Read more]

Bredesen Announces $3.8 million in Litter Grants for Tennessee Counties

Grants awarded through TDOT’s Beautification Division

Nashville, TN – As part of the effort to StopLitterT in Tennessee, Governor Phil Bredesen and TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely yesterday awarded $3,862,515 in litter grant funds to all 95 counties in Tennessee.

“Each year volunteers pick up almost 25 million pounds of roadside litter in Tennessee alone,” said Bredesen. “Litter is an eye-sore, it’s costly to clean up and it can be harmful to our environment, but it’s totally preventable. These funds will be used by counties across the state to organize their pick-up efforts and conduct educational campaigns to teach children and adults about the importance of keeping Tennessee beautiful.” [Read more]

HUD offers $79 million in grants for housing counseling

Funding to help hundreds of thousands avoid foreclosure or make informed home purchases

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that $79 million is available for a broad range of housing counseling programs to help families find and preserve housing. The available funding is an increase of $21 million, or 27 percent, over last year.

These grants will be awarded competitively to hundreds of HUD-approved counseling agencies and State Housing Finance Agencies across the nation that offer a variety of services including how to avoid foreclosure, how to avoid mortgage scams, how to purchase or rent a home, how to improve credit scores, and how to qualify for a reverse mortgage.

“The counseling programs this funding will support are crucial in helping thousands of families avoid foreclosure and remain in their homes,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “Every day, our HUD-approved counseling organizations help families to make more informed choices about buying or renting.” [Read more]

Governor Bredesen Announces $1.5 million Grant for Henry County Airport

Grant awarded through TDOT’s Aeronautics Division

Nashville, TN—Governor Phil Bredesen announced today that a federal aeronautics grant in the amount of $1,575,000 has been approved for the Henry County Airport.

“From moving people to moving freight, the airports in Tennessee are vital pieces of the state’s overall economy and travel system,” said Bredesen. “Tennessee’s airports are often the front doors to our communities, welcoming visitors from across the globe, so it’s important to keep them up to date in order to stay competitive and efficient at meeting the needs of both businesses and travelers.”

Funds from this aeronautics grant will be for the relocation of a parallel taxiway at the airport.

The grants are made available through the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division. [Read more]

Send phishy e-mails seeking your information right to your spam folder

Nashville, TN – “We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your identity.”

Have you received e-mail with a similar message? It’s a scam called “phishing” – and it involves Internet fraudsters who send spam or pop-up messages to lure personal information (credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security numbers, passwords or other sensitive data) from unsuspecting victims.

“It’s impossible to keep up with the variations of these types of scams because they are forever changing,” said Mary Clement, director of the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs. “The best way to avoid being victimized is to practice safe computing and report fraudulent e-mails.”

According to the Federal Trade Commission, phishers send an e-mail or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you might deal with – for example, an Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service or even a government agency. The message might ask you to “update,” “validate” or “confirm” your account information. [Read more]

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