Tobacco Tax, Info Bill, Bristol Exide Layoffs

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Bill to protect information advances

A bill approved Tuesday in the House of Representatives would give reporters limited protection if they decline to reveal confidential information or sources.

Chief sponsor Rep. Rick Boucher, D-9th District, said the purpose of the bill is not to protect reporters, but to protect the public’s right to know essential information. He said sources will not share information with journalists if they fear exposure and retaliation.

Similar legislation passed the House in 2007, but the Senate took no action.

We believe the Free Flow of information Act would balance the public’s right to essential information while still acknowledging the federal government’s role to protect Americans from terrorism and serious crimes. We hope the Senate will take action on this important legislation later this year.

Federal tax increases on tobacco

Federal taxes on a pack of cigarettes increased to $1.01 as of Wednesday, a hike aimed at financing expanded federal health insurance benefits for children. The federal taxes on a pack of smokes had been 39 cents.

All tobacco products – cigarettes, cigars, pipes and smokeless tobacco – are affected by the increases. We say it is an ideal solution. The increases help fund needed insurance for kids. And the price hikes could spur smokers to quit, which in turn will improve their health.

One item worth noting: Most major cigarette makers raised prices several weeks ago to offset any drop in profits from those customers who may reduce or try to quit after the federal tax hike took effect.

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Painful economic realities in region

Exide Corporation Battery Plant in Bristol, Tenn., announced Wednesday it will lay off 567 employees. That’s about 70 percent of its workforce at a plant that makes vehicle batteries.

It is devastating for Bristol to lose this number of jobs, on top of the crushing job losses that already have hit the region in health care, manufacturing and other fields. Exide was Bristol, Tenn.’s third-largest employer before these layoff plans.

Tennessee will provide so-called rapid response teams to help workers apply for benefits, search for work and retrain for new jobs.

Salmonella scare reaches pistachios

In another food scare similar to the recent contamination of peanuts, federal food officials are warning against eating any food containing pistachios because of possible contamination by salmonella.

The nation’s second-largest pistachio processor Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. is voluntarily recalling about 2 million pounds of the popular nuts that have been shipped since last fall.

The advice is obvious – don’t eat foods with pistachios and throw out any foods you have at home that contain pistachios. So far, two people have had gastrointestinal illnesses, but a definite link has not been confirmed.

The greatest worry is: How do these food scares keep happening? Salmonella is not normally found in nuts, but the bacteria could be spread by unsanitary practices within a processing plant.

The Food and Drug Administration must take stronger action to protect the nation’s food supply.

Ohio man charged with DUI on bar stool

We featured this story on the front page on Wednesday because it was unbelievable, foolish and funny. Kile Wygle, 28, of Newark, Ohio, was arrested and charged with drunken driving after crashing his motorized bar stool. The vehicle was a deconstructed lawn mower with a bar stool attached.

It should come as no surprise that a person who would modify a lawn mower and add a bar stool as a seat might be known to drink on occasion, huh?

Wygle was hospitalized with minor injuries and allegedly told officers he had consumed 15 beers before the accident. He also told police his motorized bar stool could travel up to 38 mph. With 15 beers under his belt, he needed to travel to the nearest couch.

Wygle has pleaded not guilty and wants a jury trial. But will jurors be able to keep from snickering when they see a photograph of the wrecked vehicle he admits is his?