Kustoff Among Congressmen in Virginia Train-Truck Collision

U.S. Rep. David Kustoff of Germantown was among the members of Congress on a train bound for a Republican conference in West Virginia Wednesday, Jan. 31, when the train collided with a truck in Crozet, Virginia.

“I am OK and security and doctors are on board,” Kustoff tweeted shortly after the collision. “I am praying for those who may be seriously injured.”

Fellow Tennessee Republican Chuck Fleischmann of Ooltewah was injured in the collision but tweeted that he was being tended to by doctors.

“I was standing up when the accident happened,” Fleischmann tweeted. “A little bit shaken up, and praying for all of my colleagues.”

– Bill Dries

SCS Recommends Demotion of Hamilton High Principal

Monekea Smith, the suspended principal of Hamilton High School, would become a classroom teacher under a recommendation by Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson.

Smith was suspended in December after an investigation into a grade-changing allegation concluded she authorized changing a child’s grade from failing to passing.

Some grade changes are permitted by school system policy, but SCS alleges the changes Smith made were “unjustified” and “without the knowledge or approval of the teacher.”

They also say she “acknowledged there was no legitimate reason for the grade changes.”

The recommendation came Tuesday, Jan. 30, as the SCS board approved the process for Smith to appeal the allegations.

When Smith was first suspended, the school system said it would be with a recommendation that she be fired. Hopson said Tuesday his recommendation includes a 20-day suspension. At this point, Smith has been suspended without pay for 34 days. Hopson indicated the school system is still negotiating the matter of back pay for the 14 days beyond a 20-day suspension she will have already served.

Also at its first business meeting of the new year Tuesday, school board members approved the sale of 12 acres in Capleville where Capleville High School once stood. The land is being sold to Speedway LLC for $475,000, with Speedway paying the $29,500 commission and any closing costs.

The board also approved the demolition of Fairley Elementary by Barnes & Brower Inc. for $157,332.

Both Fairley and Raineshaven Elementary were closed when a larger Westhaven Elementary was built in Whitehaven. Students from those schools were merged into Westhaven when the school opened in August 2016.

– Bill Dries

First Horizon Taps New Communications Chief

First Horizon National Corp., the parent company of First Tennessee Bank, has hired a new chief communications officer to replace former head of corporate communications Kim Cherry, who recently left after more than three decades to launch her own firm.

Candace Steele Flippin has joined First Horizon as executive vice president and chief communications officer. As such, she’ll develop and lead communications across all areas of the company.

Steele Flippin is a public relations leader with more than two decades of experience in communications and public affairs. Prior to joining First Horizon, she was divisional vice president of public affairs for Abbott Laboratories and previously held leadership positions at St. Jude Medical, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals and Ketchum Public Relations.

– Andy Meek

Nike’s Memphis Facilities Earn LEED Certification

Both the Nike Tennessee U.S. Footwear Distribution Center and its office building in Memphis have earned silver certifications through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program.

Memphis-based Pickering Firm Inc. provided the engineering and architectural design services for the 1.6 million-square-foot expansion of the distribution center as well as the 77,644-square-foot, two-story office building on New Frayser Boulevard in Northridge.

Among the project highlights, the office building has seen water use reduction of 42 percent and energy cost savings of 29 percent, while the distribution center has reduced water usage by 35 percent and cut energy costs by 31 percent.

Thirty-two percent of the materials used in the office building and 34 percent used in the distribution center were produced, extracted and manufactured within 500 miles of the project site, and 32 percent of the office building materials and 25 percent of the distribution center materials contained recycled content.

Sixty-seven percent of the on-site general construction waste for the office building and 51 percent for the distribution center was diverted from the landfill.

Adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings and flooring systems used in both buildings met the low-emitting materials standards for volatile organic chemicals, helping assure higher indoor air quality.

In addition, Nike made a commitment to alternative transportation by providing bicycle storage at both facilities; changing rooms and showers for bike riders; and preferred parking for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles. The distribution center also has easy access to public transportation.

LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions, resulting in high-performing buildings that are more energy efficient, use less water and have higher indoor air quality.

Nike’s distribution center in Northridge now totals 2.8 million square feet – the equivalent of 49 football fields – and is the company’s largest in the world, serving as its primary distribution center in North America.

– Daily News staff