Firefighter Suspected in Child Murder Case
Sheriff’s officials in Chattanooga say they have arrested a firefighter who was suspected of kidnapping and killing a teenage boy.
According to Hamilton County Sheriff’s spokesman Ron Rice, Chattanooga officials took 33-year-old Marvin Nicholson, Jr. into custody without incident Wednesday morning.
The boy’s body was found on Tuesday in a ditch about 25 miles from his home. Authorities have not yet released his name.
Rice says there were witnesses to both the abduction and the killing. Police say the boy was forced into a car at gunpoint, and the witnesses say they heard gunshots.
Police have found no link between Nicholson and the victim.
Charges are still pending in Nicholson’s case.

Confederate Flag Dispute in Franklin
A controversy has emerged in Franklin, Tennessee, over the Confederate flag.
An article in The Tennessean reported that Franklin Mayor Tom Miller had decided to ban the Confederate flag from being flown at the upcoming Battle of Franklin commemoration. The article said Miller made the decision because many people deeply detest the symbol
City spokeswoman Monique McCullough later claimed, however, that the mayor was misunderstood and that he only wanted to keep the flag from being displayed on a flagpole in the middle of the city square. She said Miller was concerned that all the attention would be on the Confederate flag.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans have criticized the mayor for his alleged decision, saying that the Confederate flag is an important reminder to Southerners who only want to honor their ancestors.

Bredesen v. Bryson at West High
Incumbent governor Phil Bredesen faced challenger Jim Bryson Tuesday night in the first of 3 debates before the November election.
Bredesen was reported to have a 3 to 1 lead over Bryson in the latest Mason Dixon Poll, and Bryson was hoping to use the debate as an opportunity to draw closer to his opponent.
The debate occurred at West High School and drew a full house. Appropriately, much of the discussion was about education issues such as increasing teacher pay and improving student learning.
“We’ve got to find ways for young people in our state to get to college and be able to afford that college,” said Phil Bredesen.
“We need to do our best to have the Hope Scholarship keep up with the inflation rate of higher education so that it can help those students go to school,” said Bryson.
State Senator Bryson criticized the Governor’s handling of TennCare and expressed disagreement with his stances on education, but the Governor confidently supported his decisions in these areas.

Woman Dies on Interstate
One person died in a possibly alcohol-related car crash early Wednesday morning.
According to the Knoxville Police Department, a woman ran her car into the back of a semi truck just after midnight. The truck was stopped because of construction on I-40 Eastbound.

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