Mid-South News

Astawusegne Desalegne is a senior at Kingsbury High School with big dreams, “I would like to be the first generation in my family to go to college,” he said. “Make my dad proud.”

He already has a four-year college picked out—Middle Tennessee State University, or MTSU. Desalegne feels MTSU is more cloistered than other schools he has considered. “I like this picture of a circle and the buildings inside of it. There is nothing but the university. I feel like UT Knoxville is too spread out,” Desalegne said. “MTSU is one place only for MTSU.”

Randy Boyd is a somewhat unlikely pick as a special advisor to Governor Bill Haslam on issues of higher education. Boyd is the CEO of Radio Systems Corporation, a pet company best known for their brand names Invisible Fence, Pet Safe, and Sport Dog.

“It seemed it was natural to go from animal welfare to higher education,” Boyd joked, “[but] there is one segue between animal welfare and dog products and this current educational initiative.”

The Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act left Governor Bill Haslam with a big decision—expand Medicaid to include more low-income Tennesseans, or don’t. The governor is not exactly saying “yes” to expanding the state’s Medicaid program, known as TennCare. But he is not saying “no” either.

Haslam made his announcement last week to a joint assembly of the state Legislature, telling lawmakers he’s been working toward a “third option.”