Topic: Community

Looking back on Rivers & Spires 2008

By Bill Larson | April 21, 2008 |

Rivers and Spires 2008 is over, with a final day (Saturday) that remain cloudy, cool but relatively rain-free. Several thousand visitors flocked to Franklin Street and Public Square in Downtown Clarksville for the festivities, taking time to browse the booths, ride the rides, listen to the music, watch the dancers and mingle with family and friends.

We offer this final collection of Rivers and Spires photos for your enjoyment.

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Sections: News | 2 Comments

Clarksville unveils new “Brand” as “Tennessee’s Top Spot!”

By Turner McCullough Jr. | April 12, 2008 |

Extensive research and consultation yields latest update to city’s world market projection.

In a well-attended reception on the fifth floor of the new Farmers and Merchants Bank Tower, Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper jubilantly invited the guests to witness the unveiling of the city’s new brand. Branding is a marketing term that encompasses a municipality’s slogan and logo as a unified identity characteristic. The invited audience was filled with luminaries of all stripes, to include Jim Durrett, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, State Senator Rosalind Kurita, Mayor Pro Temp Barbara Johnson, APSU President Tim Hall, City Council members Geno Grubbs, Deanna McLaughlin, Jim Doyle and Wayne Harrison, Arthur Bing of the Clarksville Transit Systems, C-MC Schools System Director Michael Harris, CPD Deputy Chief Frankie Gray, as well as Interim Co-City Attorney Tim Harvey.

Mayor Piper opened the reception with welcoming remarks and thanks to the members of the City Council’s Communications Committee which had worked so diligently on this project. Council members Deanna McLaughlin and Geno Grubbs gave the story of the development of this new brand. McLaughlin spoke of how the idea of a new brand came to be and development of the concept and focus which it should address. Grubbs added that committee members had worked through an extensive amount of public comment and input and then reviewed that data with the marketing firm of MMA Creative. Mayor Piper he was confident everyone would be impressive with the new brand/logo.

Council members Geno Grubs and Deanna McLaughlin address reception guests.

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Sections: Business, News | 1 Comment »

APSU offers variety of extended, distance education classes

April 10, 2008 |

Develop a new skill, explore a new idea, learn a new language or seek a new career with a class from Austin Peay State University’s Center for Extended and Distance Education. Early registrants receive a 10 percent discount on selected courses, and a senior citizen discount is also available on selected courses. Only one discount can be applied per registration and preregistration is required for each course.

Business seminar

• HR Certificate—Part 3 will meet from 6–8 p.m., Thursdays, April 17–May 15 in APSU’s Clement Building, Room 157. (course $120, supply $8)

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Sections: Education | No Comments

House Democrat Review for 03/27/2008

By Tennessee Democrats | March 29, 2008 |

The House Democrat Review is a weekly feature that gives Tennesseans an in-depth look at what our Democratic state legislators have been working on this week, and a glimpse into what’s planned for the coming week at our state house.

Precious Metals Theft Bill Overwhelmingly Passes Out of House
New Legislation brings much needed regulation and tougher penalties

NASHVILLE (Mar. 20) – This week the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that brings new regulations to the scrap metal industry and tougher penalties on violators.

“With the price of copper going up over 400% in just five years, scrap metal theft has become the new way to score big bucks,” said Chairman Mike McDonald (D-Portland), prime sponsor of the legislation. “This new legislation will significantly limit a thief’s ability to sell the metal he’s stolen and, if he still tries to do it, we’ll be able to track him down pretty quickly.”

Under the new legislation, scrap metal dealers who buy and sell in precious metals may not buy or otherwise acquire metal from anyone who does not present a valid state or federally issued photo ID and may not sell to anyone under 18. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Politics | No Comments

Justice Department asked to investigate Chad Youth Enhancement Center

January 29, 2008 |

[Nashville TN] A black human rights organization in Nashville has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a criminal investigation and initiate civil litigation against a Middle Tennessee juvenile prison where two teens have been choked to death since 2005.

The organization, Power to the People, in a complaint to the special litigation section of the DOJ, charges that children detained at the Chad Youth Enhancement Center are subjected to “horrid” conditions and “cruel mistreatment.” Located in Ashland City, the juvenile prison houses about 90 troubled youth between the ages of 7 and 17, a large number of whom are black. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News, Opinion | No Comments

A letter from Clarksville NAACP President, Jimmie Garland

By Jimmie Garland, Sr. | January 23, 2008 |

Thanks Clarksville Online for your support. Your devotion to covering events hosted by the Clarksville Branch of the NAACP throughout the city of Clarksville this weekend was unparallel. We, as the sponsor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative celebration, salute you and your staff on making our programs more available to those who desired to partake.

The MLK holiday for some was just a day-off, but for members of the NAACP, it was a day-on. By this I mean a day set aside to pay homage to a man who made a tremendous difference in the way we live today. Believe it or not, there were some who chose simply to forget the contributions he made to freedom irregardless of race, creed or national origin.

We, the NAACP, chose to devote quality time to keep the dream alive by attending religious services, preparing and presenting workshops and marching. Although the march was symbolic, it had its relevance to society as we know it today. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion | No Comments

DDP redevelopment meeting canceled; Piper to recommend amendment

By Christine Anne Piesyk | January 9, 2008 |

Failure to use due diligence, failure to follow state law cited…tumbles “blight” ordinance…

Coalition group to meet 6 p.m. today in APSU’s Clement Auditorium, in lieu of the previously planned city meeting…City Council members invited to attend…

Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper, has taken a bold step and reversed direction on the “blight” ordinance. He has decided to cancel a community meeting that was scheduled for Thursday evening at Austin Peay State University, where members of the Downtown District Partnership were to review the Clarksville Center Redevelopment Plan. The meeting was planned to allow the DDP the opportunity to inform property owners in the redevelopment area about the plan that they developed and recommended to the City Council.

“I have great concerns about how this was handled and presented to the City Council by the DDP,” Mayor Piper

The Mayor’s office has received many phone calls and comments from concerned residents over the past few weeks on this issue. In addition, the formation of the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition (CPRC), fueled by angry residents of the downtown area, and two standing room-only grassroots public meetings, provided a highly visible evidence of public discontent with the ordinance and the way it was developed and presented. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues | No Comments

Development on steroids: Rethinking urban planning for a city on the grow

By Christine Anne Piesyk | January 7, 2008 |

It is with a walloping dose of dismay, a meager bit of optimism and sometimes amusement that I follow stories of the city’s intent to address planning and development issues, including signage, as Clarksville braces for the transition of Gateway Medical Center from Madison Street to the St. Bethlehem area, and push forward development issues that affect the entire city. But let’s start with signage.

Signage. No kidding. Someone wants to talk about signs? It’s about time, though it is only a starting point. When the city refers to “blighted” areas, it refers to areas not meeting a maximized tax potential. Your property is worth much less in tax revenue as your home, and so much more (to the city and developers) as a revenue-generating business-zoned cadre of condo’s, apartments, another mini strip mall or as part of the growing Austin Peay State University campus.

In recent months we’ve heard talk of redevelopment, urban blight, and all manner of things relating to zoning and design. The fact is, when I consider what constitutes blight in Clarksville, it’s not just Emerald Hill or Red River or Brandon Hills or any of a half-dozens areas that may or may not be blighted in the usual sense of the word but which trigger dollar signs in the eyes of developers. To see blight, all I have to do is drive down Fort Campbell Boulevard or Wilma Rudolph Boulevard and look out the car window. Blight. One big wall of urban blight in the guise of revenue-producing business districts. The heck with aesthetics.

Face the fact: the view is UGLY. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Opinion | 1 Comment »