Free Republic

When long-defiant former state Sen. Kathryn Bowers finally admits as expected Monday to taking bribes, the once-improbable Tennessee Waltz will have all but played out. She will become the 11th of 12 defendants in the FBI's undercover Waltz corruption sting to be found guilty. After Bowers, only one minor defendant remains, a former school board member. Prosecutors are undefeated -- 11-0 -- and they've scored victories against some of the biggest names in Tennessee politics. From Memphis powerhouse John Ford to his venerable East Tennessee colleague Ward Crutchfield and former Shelby County Commissioner Michael Hooks -- heir to the one...

A legislative retreat raised more than $163,000 last year from agencies in government and private industry that lobby the General Assembly, according to documents made available yesterday.Advertisement This year's retreat, scheduled for more than 2,000 participants next month at Paris Landing State Park in Henry County, is expected to fetch similar sums from the same group of underwriters, said Barbara Nance, executive director of the Office of Minority Affairs. The Legislative Retreat and Training Seminar, in its 31st year, is the pet project of the Black Caucus, but it is organized by the legislatively created minority affairs office. Top donors...