Tennessee’s U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander joined 11 other Republicans to have dinner at the White House with President Obama to discuss, among other items, gun control.

The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce will have to cover the costs of any money expended to locate a “megasite” along Interstate 81.

Helen Ross McNabb is continuing exponential growth with mergers and pressing for new programs.

If you are wondering about all the new office furniture in various local government offices in Oak Ridge—no they haven’t been on a spending spree.

A coalition of groups opposed the Norfolk Southern Intermodal facility in New Market and a megasite proposal off Interstate 81, arguing that such sites should be on existing brownfields rather than taking Jefferson County farmland.

There is the potential for at least one interesting Knoxville City Council race this year. Thus far the only non-incumbent to pick up a petition to run for Council is Anthony Hancock in the district now represented by Duane Grieve.

The Volunteer Ministry Center hosted a film crew from Al Jazeera English last week, doing a story on the link between homelessness and mental illness.

So can the Republican Senatorial Committee drop their subscription to Mr. Skin?

It’s being billed as the untold story of the women who helped win World War II.

The poll had some interesting results, however, and it has good news and bad news for Alexander.

During the legislative session last week, a representative of the University of Tennessee suggested to state Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, that if he didn’t stop talking about UT’s Sex Week he was going to make it major national story.

The pace has been such that legislative services—the people who write the bills and the amendments—are overwhelmed. Additional staff is being called in to handle the workload.

Lloyd Daugherty, chair of the Tennessee Conservative Union, launched an ad campaign and video revealing that a “Red Chinese” company had bought an East Tennessee coal company, and called on legislators to support a ban on mountaintop mining.

Tennessee Democrats took a major hit in 2012—the number of Democratic senators in the state Legislature dropped to seven. It appears that it is going to get worse.

A bill to allow wine sales in groceries was defeated in a House committee last week and declared dead.