State Rep. Curry Todd's arraignment on drunken driving and weapons charges, set for today, has been delayed until Sept. 14, the Associated Press reports. The Collierville Republican was arrested in October after failing a roadside sobriety test. A loaded .38-caliber gun was found stuffed in a holster between the driver's seat and center console.

State Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, is in the middle of a four-year term but Knox County Commissioner Richard Briggs has expressed new interest in seeking his 7th Senate District seat in 2014, the News Sentinel reports. Briggs, a Repubilcan, is a cardiothoracic surgeon and retired Army colonel who has served in active and reserve units. He says he will wait until after the Nov. 6 elections before making a decision.

State Rep. Joe Carr, R-Lascassas, denied telling a reporter today that he agreed with U.S. Rep. Todd Akin’s theory that victims of “legitimate rape” seldom carry pregnancies to term, but he stood by his position that Akin should not be pressured to leave the Missouri Senate race. Carr confirmed to the Tennessean that he does not think Akin should be forced to drop out, but that view does not constitute proof that he agrees with Akin on the subject of rape.

Revisions to the University of Tennessee student conduct rules has sparked concern among some legislators who questioned rules banning guns and most knives with blades three inches or longer. The revamped rules also add some new provisions, such as a prohibition on surreptitiously recording another student when he or she has a "reasonable expectation of privacy." Under state law, the legislature must sign off on all new rules promulgated by state agencies. The Government Operations Committee this week gave its OK, but the rules will go before the full general assembly early next year, the News Sentinel reports.

State Sen. Jim Summerville, R-Dickson, doesn’t “give a rat’s ass what the black caucus thinks.” That is what he told Memphis state Rep. Barbara Cooper via email Wednesday in response to her report from the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators criticising the probe of a state university for changing students’ grades. Response was swift on Thursday, TNReport says, when Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Dolores Gresham stripped Summerville of his chairmanship on the Higher Education Subcommittee. On Friday, Summerville resigned from the Senate Education Committee, the Commercial Appeal reports and Sen. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, said Friday that he has been asked to take over as chairman of the subcommittee, the Tennessean reports in its In Session blog.

Gov. Bill Haslam says he is backing current Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, in her bid to keep her leadership role amid news that Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma, might challenge her for the top job. According to WPLN, a bid by Matheny risks pitting more conservative House Republicans against the moderate Harwell, who has raised the ire of gun-friendly lawmakers by limiting the amount of time the House has spent on gun bills.

Former state senator John Ford should be released from prison later this month after more than four years behind bars, his brother, Edmund Ford Sr., said today. The Memphis Democrat reported to prison on April 28, 2008, following a bribery conviction. He is expected to be released to a halfway house in less than two weeks, his brother said. Read more in the Commercial Appeal

Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, told the Associated Press that he won't make another run for Speaker of the House despite the defeat of seven Republican House incumbents in last week's primary races. "Beth's done a good job and I will be supporting Beth for speaker next year," Casada said. Casada was considered the favorite for the speakership after Republicans picked up 14 seats in the 99-member chamber in 2010. But Harwell, a former professor and state Republican Party chairwoman, won the caucus nomination in a secret ballot. The News Sentinel reports

Gregory Gleaves, chief of staff to Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell and former executive director of the Tennessee GOP, will leave government service next month to join the public relations firm of Hall Strategies. Beginning Aug. 6, Gleaves will lead the firm's campaign practice as director of grassroots campaigns. The Knoxville News Sentinel has more

The Tennessean says that Democrats and Republicans alike have been kicking around the idea of a special session to handle aspects of the Affordable Care Act. The biggest question is how to deal with a requirement that state governments set up special exchanges where residents can buy health coverage before the insurance mandate goes into effect in 2014. The state faces a critical deadline in January, when officials must demonstrate to the federal government that they’ll have Tennessee’s exchange ready in time.