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TexasTowelie's JournalNissan expects auto manufacturing to resume by mid-May
SMYRNA — Nissan expects its North American factories to resume building cars and engines by mid-May, a spokeswoman confirmed.
"Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nissan has extended production downtime at all of its U.S. manufacturing facilities until mid-May" said Lloryn Love-Carter, a spokeswoman for Nissan's large factory in Smyrna. "Some business-essential work that must be done on site continues with enhanced safety measures. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and make adjustments as needed."
The Nissan factory in Smyrna usually has over 7,000 workers to manufacture the company's Altima, LEAF, Maxima, Pathfinder, Rogue and INFINITI QX60 brands. The factory can build up to 640,000 automobiles annually, the most in North America, Love-Carter said.
Although auto manufacturing has been on hold, Nissan has been making products to help in the coronavirus response.
Read more: https://www.dnj.com/story/news/2020/04/29/nissan-expects-auto-manufacturing-to-return-by-mid-may/3047743001/
(Murfreesboro Daily News Journal)
More than 70% of inmates, jailers tested at 201 Poplar in Memphis are positive for COVID-19
More than 70% of 266 pretrial detainees and jail employees tested for COVID-19 at 201 Poplar late last week were positive, according to numbers provided by Shelby County Health Department Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter Wednesday, April 29.
Speaking at the daily COVID Task Force briefing, Haushalter said 266 detainees and jail employees were tested. Of the total, 155 inmates and 37 employees were positive, about 72%.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office announced last Friday that county and state health officials were slated to test 400 detainees and corrections deputies at the Downtown men’s jail.
“We had planned and anticipated we might test up to 400 or over 400, but ultimately tested 266 that were in various specific areas of the facility,” Haushalter said. “And those test results came back over the weekend through (Tuesday).”
Read more: https://dailymemphian.com/section/metro/article/13488/201-poplar-covid-testing-70-percent-positive
Will Shelby County's Voting Machine Issue be Resolved Anytime Soon?
Now it appears that our next round of local and state elections — the ones scheduled for August — could be in jeopardy.
Governor Bill Lee, who was relatively late in imposing shelter-in-place rules for Tennessee, has now put himself in the vanguard of the nation's state executives in casting them aside, allowing restaurants and other formerly public places to begin re-opening — though there is no evidence so far that the ominous coronavirus epidemic has sufficiently spent itself or even begun to plateau.
Though the Shelby County Commission, meeting via that Hollywood Squares-like audio-visual modality known as webinar, has formally requested a loosening of the regulations regarding absentee ballots, there is no indication as of yet that the governor nor the General Assembly, its sessions indefinitely suspended, will approve such a process. So the specter presents itself of lengthy, thinly populated, and nervously distanced voter lines like those we saw in the recent Wisconsin elections — followed, as we now know, by a spike in COVID-19 infections.
And, even should circumstances clear to the point of allowing some sense of relative comfort in going to our accustomed physical voting locations, Shelby County is experiencing delay after delay in replacing the now discredited Diebold voting machines that virtually nobody trusts. Election Administrator Linda Phillips last year set a goal of having new machines in time for the August 6th primary for county general election and primary for state/federal offices.
Read more: https://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/will-shelby-countys-voting-machine-issue-be-resolved-anytime-soon/Content?oid=22908938
Media groups sue campaign finance board over email vote, contend violation of open meetings law
A coalition of media organizations filed a lawsuit Wednesday against a state panel for violating Tennessee’s open meetings law.
The lawsuit, filed in Nashville chancery court, stems from the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance’s decision to reduce previously issued fines against Rep. Joe Towns, D-Memphis.
First reported by the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee, the board — prompted by Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance Executive Director Bill Young — voted via email earlier this month to reduce Towns’ fines to $22,000.
Before the reduction, Towns owed the registry and the state Ethics Commission more than $66,000 for failing to file various reports.
Read more: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/2020/04/29/tennessee-media-groups-sue-campaign-finance-board-over-email-vote/3050780001/
VW cancels plans to restart Chattanooga car assembly plant on Sunday
Volkswagen has canceled plans to restart its Chattanooga assembly plant on Sunday.
The automaker released a statement Wednesday saying a "reassessment" is underway to set a new start date.
"Parts of our supply chain are not yet ready to resume production," VW Chattanooga spokeswoman Amanda Plecas said. "In order for us to have a stable production restart, we must be aligned with our suppliers and regional industry."
VW is the first automaker in the United States to back off its earlier decision to reopen production. Nissan said it is looking at mid-May for the reopening of its 7,000-employee Smyrna assembly plant. Honda, Kia and Toyota have announced plans to resume auto assembly next week.
Read more: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/2020/04/29/coronavirus-volkswagen-vw-chattanooga-assembly-plant-restart/3050254001/
Regal Cinemas is switching to Pepsi products, and Coke fans aren't happy
KNOXVILLE -- A new social-media campaign launched by Regal on Tuesday reads like a “meet cute” encounter in a playful romantic comedy.
“You are everything I never knew I always wanted” says a Regal tweet, quoting the film "Fools Rush In," to which Pepsi replies with a line from "Twilight," “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you.”
Regal follows with “You had me at hello” (from "Jerry Maguire"
to which Pepsi replies “I’m gonna treat you so nice, you’re never gonna let me go” (from "Pretty Woman" .
Soon after the exchange, Pepsi followed with “Coming Soon” attached to a photo of a Pepsi cup leaning into a bucket of Regal popcorn – a post retweeted by Regal. The bottom of the image, which Regal also posted on its Facebook account, says, “The Match Made in Heaven … coming spring 2020.”
Read more: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/life/2020/01/07/regal-cinemas-pepsi-social-media-campaign-dumping-coca-cola/2836435001/
After giving plan to reopen Texas, Gov. Abbott says going to restaurants, movies is not on his list
AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott made several major announcements on Monday, April 27, including allowing several types of businesses to reopen on May 1.
The types of businesses that will be able to reopen include restaurants, movies and malls with a limited capacity of 25%. In an interview with KVUE Political Anchor Ashley Goudeau, Gov. Abbott said he wasn't sure if he would go out to reopened businesses on Friday.
"It's not on my list yet. I'm going to talk to my wife about it and see if we can," he said. "I don't know if we'd be able to get in. We'll see what the crowds look like."
Additionally, Gov. Abbott announced that the statewide stay-at-home order that is set to expire on April 30 would not be renewed.
Read more: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/gov-abbott-reopen-texas-not-sure-restaurants-movies/269-4f5a91ac-647e-4f12-a606-bf6cf8208d0d
As Tennessee Legislature's office building reopens Monday, some workers harbor coronavirus concerns
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee General Assembly's home in a massive, 11-story office building located in downtown Nashville is scheduled to reopen Monday for the first time since March 23, when the building closed amid concerns over the growing coronavirus pandemic.
Lawmakers recessed their annual session on March 19 after passing an emergency budget. They are scheduled to return June 1.
Legislative officials say the 479,142-square-foot Cordell Hull State Building has been extensively cleaned with new protocols put in place to ensure safety.
Visitors, including lobbyists and constituents, will be allowed in only by appointment and escorted to offices of the 132 senators and representatives.
Read more: https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2020/apr/29/workers-concerned-tennessee-legislature/521854/
(Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Former TVA chairman blasts TVA for ad promotions during COVID-19 pandemic
Four decades after heading the Tennessee Valley Authority, former TVA Chairman S. David Freeman is joining an environmental group highly critical of the federal agency and is urging TVA's biggest customer to split from America's biggest government utility.
Freeman, a 94-year-old Chattanooga native who has worked as an engineer, attorney and executive for utilities in California, Texas and Tennessee, blasted TVA Wednesday for its current advertising campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Memphis where the city-owned utility is considering a split from TVA.
"In this COVID-19 pandemic, we need this public power entity more than ever, but unfortunately TVA is behaving just like another utility, except they are not regulated," Freeman said. "They are the last monopoly that is not regulated in America and it is heart breaking to watch."
Freeman this week joined the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy as a senior energy advisor and pledged Wednesday to work to help electrify the South while promoting conservation and renewable energy to fight global warming.
Read more: https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2020/apr/29/former-tva-chair-blasts-ad-promotions/521858/
(Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Gov. Lee announces salons to open next week, bar closures continue through May
While Gov. Bill Lee issued an executive order Tuesday extending the closure of bars and close-contact businesses through the end of May, the governor on Wednesday told lawmakers he planned to reopen salons and barber shops May 6.
Details of business restrictions in the order, which also continued the state of emergency in Tennessee, apply to all but six counties in the state.
The remaining counties, which are home to the state’s larger urban areas, are following the guidance of their respective health departments which are operated locally, and not by the state.
The order follows Lee’s decision to reopen restaurants around the state on Monday, many retailers on Wednesday and gyms on Friday, each of which which came with rules on limited capacity and suggested guidelines.
Read more: https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/news/20200429/gov-lee-announces-salons-to-open-next-week-bar-closures-continue-through-may
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