In Louisville, executives with YUM Brands say Taco Bell's US sales have increased after a slump that had lasted nearly a year. The company went to court in 2011 to counter a suit in California, that claimed the company's beef and burrito mixes contained only about 35% beef. Taco Bell executives have maintained that their beef is 100 percent USDA inspected.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville will participate in a nationwide clinical study about the use of deep brain stimulation as an intervention for patients with major depression. The stimulation uses mild pulses of current to regulate specific areas of the brain, much like a pacemaker uses pulses of current to regulate the heart.
By a vote of 29-0, the Tennessee Senate approved a bill to prevent students from being discriminated against for expressing their religious beliefs. The measure is sponsored by Republican Senator Kerry Roberts of Springfield, who says the bill requires school districts to treat a student's religious expression the same way they would a secular viewpoint.
The Board of Regents at Northern Kentucky University have voted unanimously to make Geoffrey Mearns the next President at NKU. Mearns, who is currently the Provost and Senior Vice-President of Academic Affairs at Cleveland State, previously worked as Dean and Professor of Law at Cleveland State's Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
The Tennessee House has approved a measure that would make it a felony to sell or manufacture synthetic drugs. The products, which are often called bath salts, imitate controlled substances. The issue has drawn increasing attention in recent months in several states.
