Lead, of course, is additional flogging of the Reed/Gilley flap. The email in question is presented as saying that they had sex, though in fairness it appears to consist of an apology from Gilley regarding the fact that they didn't have sex. At least, not very well. Reed's attorney says the emails were fabricated. They were also on personal accounts. How did they wind up "found" in Reed's office, and in University custody? Enquiring minds want to know. The Sentinel doesn't say.

Here are the questions that the Sentinel has never answered, but that are at the core of whether this matters: (1) Did Gilley hire Reed because of their alleged affair? If so, then there's an open-and-shut case of wrongdoing. But the timing doesn't fit, based on any evidence they've provided. If Gilley didn't hire Reed because of the affair, then we have mere consensual adultery - about as common at Andy Holt tower as in the offices of the News-Sentinel, and about as significant. (2) Was Reed promoted because of an affair? Same as above. Again, no evidence has been presented, and you can't tell from the timing of the emails in the story. "Not proven," would have to be the verdict. Speculations by other posters below, concerning David Keim's sex life as a motivation for this story, are too delicious to be true. (Suggestion for Phil Hamby: get Tower emails and see who has emailed David Keim. The Journal could score on the Sentinel, and you need something to spruce things up -- you can't keep beating the Anderson County Sheriff up forever).

Lillian Mashburn is mentioned by name here, but with no comment in the story. At the Wash. Post this would suggest that she might be a source, but the Sentinel probably isn't that careful. Sourcing on this story may well be exposed when Ron Ledbetter's lawsuit moves forward, as one might expect the University to ask a lot of questions of Keim and various others in depositions. The Sentinel has covered Ledbetter's case quite thoroughly and sympathetically so far. Watch to see how they cover it in the future.

Construction on 640 is also a major issue. Question: We work on roads to speed up traffic. Do we actually get enough person-years of sped-up traffic out of the construction to justify the many person-years of slowed-down traffic that the construction creates? This would be a good Sentinel multipart story. They do those, don't they?

State Sen. Marsha Blackburn is outed -- also in an email expose` -- as having asked the Nashville talk radio barons to send forth their armies. Well, the actual word she used was "troops." Lots of talk about the violence involved, but really, it was far less than the usual UT home football game. Shouldn't somebody -- like, say, Richard Locker of the Commercial Appeal, who's been working this beat -- point that out somewhere?

(1) No, he personally did not hire her at all, let alone for the affair.

(2) Yes, she was promoted above and beyond her experience and skill because of the affair.

Any more questions?