It’s been a week since the story originally fell into my lap and five days since it broke. The DNJ finally has the news:

The Senate Transportation Committee has approved a measure that would require transportation officials to grant an easement along I-24 long sought by Barrett Firearms, a company that makes high-caliber military rifles. Owner Ronnie Barrett says transportation officials have reneged on a promise to allow the easement that was made when he launched an expansion in 2005.

But some observers say the legislature is overstepping its bounds — perhaps to benefit only one well-connected local business owner.

Since 2004, Barrett has given nearly $10,000 to legislators, including Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, and state Rep. Donna Rowland, R-Murfreesboro, to whom Barrett is engaged.

“There clearly is an issue … when there is a legislator or two doing something to favor a constituent or a friend or a contributor,” said Dick Williams, state chairman for Common Cause. “What’s not clear is that this is just to benefit one special interest.”

Governor Bredesen commented on the issue, as well:

Gov. Phil Bredesen said the measure might lead to more meddling in roadway disputes.

“I would not think that the state legislature ought to be determining individual projects that are done,” he said. “If we start passing bills to build interchanges or build roads independently, I think we’re on a really bad course in terms any kind of an intelligent transportation strategy.”

The DNJ came close, but didn’t find all the details of this story. Read my update from last night’s related post to find out who else carried a bill that would have directly helped Barrett Firearms.

From the Daily News Journal:

A Blackman High School Cares campaign that began April 15 raised $14,056.34 by April 17, principal Gail Vick reported.

The money will be used to help Blackman families who had extensive damage from the tornadoes.

“This is the most caring student body that anyone can imagine,” said Vick in an e-mail. “I am so privileged to work here.”

 

Checks were still coming in to the school as of Friday.

Being my alma mater, I figured I’d give them a little plug. Checks can be made out to “Blackman High School” or any variation thereof. Please put “tornado relief” in the memo or something. Mail checks to 3956 Blaze Drive – Murfreesboro, TN 37129.

I appreciate it, and I know the victims of the Good Friday tornado will appreciate it as well.

I am still seeing red from this story. In fact, it’s probably going to ruin the rest of my day.

Let me just qualify this by saying that I have had friends and neighbors whose lives were literally uprooted by last week’s tornado in Murfreesboro. Their homes were destroyed. Their neighbors were injured. Their pets and belongings were tossed halfway across the neighborhood and landed in someone else’s yard. Two people lost their lives in last week’s storm. There was countless millions of dollars in physical damages and an incalcuable amount in emotional damage done last week.

And who’s trying to play partisan politics with the lives of these people? The Rutherford County Democratic Party.

From a statement on their website:

Instead of helping families clean up after the deadly Good Friday tornadoes, Rutherford County Republicans gathered by the hundreds on the square in Murfreesboro last night to protest the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and paying taxes to fund veteran’s benefits.

This is absolutely disrespectful and unconscionable. Rather than acknowledge that hundreds of Murfreesboro residents have gathered together in the past week to help their friends and neighbors, the Rutherford County Democrats have played partisan politics with the lives and belongings of the people in neighborhoods off Haynes Drive, Manson Pike, Penny Lane, and Highway 96.

Rather than acknowledging that many Democrats, Republicans, Independents and apolitical-types have already taken to the streets in an effort to help rebuild, the RuCo Democrats showed their asses (literally) by making this into some sort of “I’m more self-righteous than you are!” game.

Rutherford County Republican Party Vice Chairman Lou Ann Zelenik actually encouraged the crowd to be more involved in the community last night, and specifically, to help those who were affected and displaced by the tornadoes. The message was there, and the Democrats tuned it out in favor of some twisted attempt at capitalizing on the victims of last Friday’s tornadoes.

I urge the RuCo Dems to take back their statement, and take it down from their website. Tornadoes don’t affect just Republicans – or just Democrats. They affect everyone. And for some partisan hack on the other side of the aisle to suggest otherwise is despicable. We should be coming together as a community and working together, not politicizing a natural disaster.

If you would like to express your distaste for the RuCo Democrat comments, feel free to contact the Chairman (this information is available on the site):

Jonathon Fagan
110 S. Bilbro Ave.
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
(615) 604-4211
han.d.man.2@gmail.com

Kleinheider
Liberadio

I’m just going to compile different news stories, which address the tornadoes that touched down in Murfreesboro yesterday.

Associated Press/Yahoo News:

Gov. Phil Bredesen, Deputy Gov. John Morgan and U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn. were among the officials expected to tour the affected areas in Rutherford County.

On Friday afternoon, search teams fanned out across the central Tennessee city of Murfreesboro, looking for anyone trapped in rubble.

Daily News Journal – Boro Battered:

Murfreesboro will wake today to devastation, heartache and a scenario out of a war zone after a tornado ripped through the north edge of town.

Two of its citizens — a 30-year-old mother and her 9-week-old daughter killed in the destruction Friday afternoon — won’t be among them.

“I can’t think of anything that has been so devastating in my life in Murfreesboro,” Mayor Tommy Bragg said.

DNJ – No more deaths, critical injuries:

Randy White, spokesman for Rutherford County Emergency Management Service, said preliminary numbers of two deaths and 42 injured patients, seven of which were critical, still stand.

“Right now we’re still focused on cleanup efforts and, more specifically, taking care of any injuries that could result during cleanup,” he said.

DNJ – County schools respond:

Fortunately, no damage has been sustained to any school or facility that is part of the Rutherford County Schools district. Schools will be in session Monday, and buses will run as usual. However, special considerations are being made for those families who have been affected by the tornado.

Students who lost their home or who have been displaced due to the storm will receive an excused absence Monday if parents need to keep them out of school. After Monday, schools will work with families with absences related to the storm.

Tennessean – Families had seconds to hide:

MURFREESBORO — Jennifer Farley was oddly calm when she looked out the window and saw a tornado poised to strike her home on Tomahawk Trace.

Farley figured she had less than a minute to get her two boys and their friend to safety.

“Get pillows and cushions,” she ordered her 15- and 16-year-old sons, hurrying everyone to a closet. She wanted the pillows in case debris made it through that door.

The Tennessean – Bredesen, officials tour damage:

Gov. Bredesen and several state and local representatives have returned from their tour of tornado damage in Murfreesboro, and said they were surprised by the path of the storms.

 

“Certainly we’re going to work to try to get any federal help we can for people, but I think this is the point where people just need to pray for these families and the community needs to pull together and do what it takes to help them get their lives back together,” Bredesen told WSMV Channel 4 after stepping off the helicopter.

Also see:
WKRN
WSMV
News Channel 5
Fox 17