IN BRIEF

Incumbents to campaign
Although none of the elected officials currently in office statewide will be running in 2004 elections, their offices are indicating that the incumbents will campaign – for other candidates.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander are both expected to hit the campaigning trail in support of fellow republicans wishing to secure elected office. Phil Bredesen, the Democratic Governor, will likely stump for hopefuls from his party.

Union to hold Saturn vote
Originally slated for Sunday, a vote that would alter the one-of-a-kind relationship between the Spring Hill Saturn plant and United Auto Workers has been postponed until sometime later this week.
The vote was cancelled to allow union members a chance to further examine the new contract.
GM has said that they want to bring the Spring Hill plant’s contracts into line with the rest of their plants. When Saturn first came to Spring Hill, about 30 miles south of Nashville, it was promoted as a new and different kind of car company. Workers forfeited higher wages for protection from layoffs and more input into company decisions.
The plant makes the Vue SUV and the Ion compact car.

State last in nursing home alternatives
According to the AARP, the state of Tennessee is last among fifty states in providing alternatives to nursing home care.
The AARP will be spearheading a multi-year campaign to highlight the issue, and to attempt to improve long-term care delivery systems.
According to the organization, the state will spend almost $1 billion in 2005 in state and federal money on nursing homes, but only $33 million on home and community-based long-term care.
The AARP has more than 594,000 members in Tennessee.

Snail preservation
Mining companies looking to buy into the former Gager limestone mine are being held up by preservationists seeking to protect a rare snail population.
Anguispira picta, or as it’s popularly known, the painted snake coiled forest snail, is currently found in the area around the mine, about 10 miles south of Sewanee.
The snail is considered endangered by state scientists, and the federal government considers the species threatened. State penalties for destroying the snail’s habitat could be stiffer than federal ones.
A mining company bid $3.8 million at a June auction for the land around the mine, which was shut down about 50 years ago.