AROUND THE MID-STATE…

May 31, 2008

Praying Parents
A federal judge has ruled that a central Tennessee group called the Praying Parents must be unbiased and objective in certain activities at a public school. U.S. District Judge Robert L. Echols ruled Thursday in a case claiming religious proselytizing at a public school. The case was brought by parents identified as John and Jane Doe against the Wilson County school system just east of Nashville. Echols said a nativity scene at Lakeview School’s kindergarten must be presented “in an unbiased and objective manner without sectarian indoctrination.” The judge also set the same guidelines for prayers given as part of Thanksgiving holiday instruction. Plaintiffs in the case claimed a pattern of religious promotion at the school.

Marriage Law Changed
Immigration status will no longer prevent couples from obtaining marriage licenses in Davidson County, and other Tennessee counties could follow suit. Since at least 1998, county clerks in Tennessee asked for a Social Security card, or, failing that, a valid passport and visa. But Davidson County Clerk John Arriola changed his county’s policy Thursday after a state attorney general’s opinion sided with a couple who sued him for refusing to issue them a marriage license. Arriola had refused the couple because the prospective groom didn’t have the proper documents. Nashville immigration lawyer Linda Rose said the change is good news for immigrants and restores a fundamental right. But Theresa Harmon of Tennesseans for Responsible Immigration Policy maintains that the new policy will draw illegal immigrants to the state and make it harder to deport them.

Capitol Axes Wal-Mart Audit
Tennessee has withdrawn from a partnership with Wal-Mart that could have made its state capitol the first to undergo an extensive energy audit by the nation’s largest retailer. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. earlier this month announced the partnerships with 19 states and Puerto Rico aimed at helping them save on energy and electricity costs at their capitols. Wal-Mart spokesman Dennis Alpert says Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen’s office has informed him that the state will no longer participate, but that no detailed explanation was given. Alpert says the Tennessee capitol had been slated for the energy audit by the middle of next month. Bredesen adviser Will Pinkston says the state has decided to move in a different direction after what he calls a couple of “false starts” with Wal-Mart.

Tourism Expects ‘Foreign Aid’
State tourism officials say the summer should see a boom in European music tourism to destinations like Memphis and Nashville, thanks to a weak dollar and strong euro. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development says CMA Music Festival tour packages have sold out in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Foreign tourists overall spent nearly $362 million in Tennessee in 2006, up 5 percent from 2005. Many tour operators say music plays a big part in overseas travel to Tennessee. Wolfgang Streitborger markets Tennessee tourist attractions in Europe. He says he sees many people who love country music and have dreamed of coming to Tennessee for years who can finally afford it.