Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, placed the credit for bringing a Volkswagen assembly plant to Chattanooga squarely on the shoulders of the state Senate when he addressed the Hamilton County Pachyderm Club on Monday.

“I think that the reason that Volkswagen located just up the road from where we are right now is because of the state Senate and the pro-business bills we passed in the state Senate,” he said.

Lt. Gov. Ramsey credited the Senate with voting down so-called “job-killer bills,” such as bills to establish a state minimum wage, end Tennessee’s standing as a right-to-work state and to unionize public employees.

Lt. Gov. Ramsey was not one of the officials present for the VW announcement July 15.

goats back in town

The kudzu-munching goats of Natural Land Clearing will come back to Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge in the next few weeks, according to a company news release.

The goats are scheduled to work on both the west and east sides of the McCallie Tunnel this month and then will be moved to the Bragg Reservation, according to the release.

Marci Surowitz, CEO of Natural Land Clearing, said the goats have become immensely popular. The company has gotten calls for jobs in Atlanta and Nashville, she said.

The city first started using goats to eat kudzu in 2006.

howard-hill renews debate call

After U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp responded to Dr. Jean Howard-Hill’s challenge for a debate by saying he doesn’t want to help conduct her campaign, independent U.S. House candidate fired back.

“The fact is, he is not waging any kind of campaign for Congress,” she stated. “You have not seen one campaign sign, any campaign literature, or radio or television spots. Instead, he is too busy during this election cycle running for governor.”

Dr. Howard-Hill on Tuesday challenged Rep. Wamp to the debate.

Independent candidate Ed Choate and Democratic candidate Doug Vandagriff have said they also would like to participate in a debate with Rep. Wamp.

city uses web to encourage votes

A series of YouTube videos features Mayor Ron Littlefield, Education, Arts & Culture Administrator Missy Crutchfield and other local personalities in an effort to encourage voter registration and participation, officials said.

The i-Vote Campaign kicked off last week, Ms. Crutchfield said. The videos, which are about three minutes long, have several personalities explaining why they vote.

The campaign is a partnership between the Department of Education, Arts & Culture, the Hamilton County Democratic Party, the Hamilton County Republican Party, the Service Employees International Union, Best Buy and Chattanooga Teen Scene.

Anyone wanting to watch a video can download it at youtube.com/ivotecampaign.

Early voting in Tennessee starts Wednesday and lasts through Oct. 30.

race for the cure tags available

Special Tennessee license plates bearing the pink-ribbon symbol of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation now are available for car owners who preordered them, Hamilton County Clerk Bill Knowles reported Friday.

The tags are available at the clerk’s Bonny Oaks Drive office, according to a news release. Drivers who want to pick up their tags at the County Courthouse on Georgia Avenue should call 209-6525.

For those motorists who didn’t preorder a tag, new ones should be available in a few weeks, the release states. The cost for the tag is $59.

unions endorse gilbert for council

In a joint statement Thursday, Chattanooga’s firefighter, police, electrical worker and service-employee unions endorsed Russell Gilbert for the District 5 City Council seat vacated by John “Duke” Franklin Jr.

“Mayor Littlefield’s leadership has been less than impressive over the last two years and city government needs people on the council who have an independent voice and aren’t afraid to speak truth to power,” said Doug Collier, president of Service Employees International Union Local 205.

The District 5 City Council election is Nov. 4.

Former Hamilton County Election Commissioner Joe Rowe also is running for the District 5 seat.

zoo accredited

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums announced Tuesday that it has granted accreditation to the Chattanooga Zoo.

“Chattanooga Zoo meets the highest standards in every respect, demonstrating significant leadership in animal care and conservation,” Kristin L. Vehrs, the national organization’s executive director, said in a statement. “Chattanooga is lucky to have one of the top zoos in the country as a valuable community asset.”

Zoos are required to undergo an investigation into their animal care, veterinary, education, safety and environmental practices to get the accreditation, according to a statement from the association. The association must reinspect zoos every five years for the zoos to keep the accreditation.

reading Record

County Mayor Claude Ramsey’s office announced Monday that the mayor’s Read 20 program is joining forces with Signal Centers and WSMC-FM to promote Jumpstart’s Read for the Record program.

The program aims to break the world record for the number of adults and children reading the same book in the same day and promote literacy, according to a news release. On Oct. 2, students from Hickory Valley Christian School and Signal Centers read the book “Corduroy,” the release states.

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