AP/WMOT

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) – More than a thousand Middle Tennessee residents lined up in the cold for hours over the weekend to apply for a job at the Smyrna Nissan plant.

Yates Services hosted the job fair at the State Career Center in Murfreesboro on Saturday.

Tennessee Department of Labor area manager R.J. Sherr says all the jobs are assembly line positions on third shift that pay between $12.50 and $18.50 an hour.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — A report shows Tennessee's solar power and related industries provide more than 6,400 jobs and are helping put people back to work.

The report by the Tennessee Solar Institute shows the state ranks 22nd in installed solar power. The group says Tennessee needs to stay aggressive to compete with other states that have growing solar sectors.

The Institute’s Director of Programs, Dr. John Sanseverino, says solar’s cost-to-benefit ratio has finally reached the tipping point.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Governor Bill Haslam says he opposes efforts to water down Tennessee's open meetings law that bans city or county officials from deliberating over official business in private.

The Tennessee County Commissioners Association is promoting changes to the law that would allow closed-door talks among officials as long as a quorum isn’t present.

David Connor is the TCCA’s Director. He says the way the law is currently written, commissioners are afraid to communicate with each other on any subject, outside official meetings.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT)  WMOT News told you yesterday about the American Civil Liberties Union and the Sumner County Board of Education settling a law suit claiming the system was promoting Christianity.

In a consent decree announced earlier this week schools officials agreed to a long list of changes.  However, David French, the attorney who represented the school system in the case, downplayed the scope of those changes when he spoke with WMOT.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union and the Sumner County Board of Education have settled a law suit claiming educators there were promoting Christianity.

Under a consent decree announced yesterday, schools officials are not allowed to proselytize, religious symbols and items have to be kept out of sight, course material must have a clear educational purpose and school officials can’t encourage or solicit prayer at school functions.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s international exports are way up and the state wants to push them still higher.

A new government initiative to boost exports called TNTrade was announced yesterday. TNTrade is designed to help small and medium businesses increase their exports.

Under the program, eligible businesses will receive a reimbursement equal to half of any one-time export-related expense such as consultant fees or trade show participation. The maximum reimbursement amount is $5,000 per company.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (AP/WMOT)  A Nashville-area woman has been honored as an inspiration for her work with needy children in Africa.

Beliefnet, an online site focusing on spirituality, chose Katie Davis of Brentwood for its Editor's Choice Award. 

After traveling to Uganda in 2006 when she was just 16, Davis started a ministry two years later that matches children there with sponsors worldwide who donate funds to pay for their schooling.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A proposed reduction in state-funded college scholarships worries students and administrators at some of Tennessee's small private institutions.

Projections show the HOPE scholarship fund will be operating in the red within a few years. A legislative task force was convened to suggest solutions.

Their recommendation to legislators is to reduced scholarship payouts by requiring applicants to meet both the high school grade point and college entrance exam benchmarks to get the full award.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says he’s working to speed up the environmental permitting system for poultry farms.

The governor noted in a speech to the Farm Bureau in Franklin yesterday that his goal is for the state to strike a balance between environmental stewardship and promoting jobs and production in the agricultural sector.

Poultry is Tennessee's third largest agricultural product, after cattle and soybeans.

NEW YORK (AP) — Renowned UT Knoxville Women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt has been named Sports Illustrated's sportswoman of the year.

The Hall of Famer has won more games than any coach in women's basketball, earning her 1,075th career victory Sunday.

Summitt announced in August that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, but says she’ll continue coaching as long as possible.

Governor Bill Haslam among those lining up to congratulate Summitt on the award.