Tennessee truck stop got stimulus money despite bankruptcy

In July, Tennessee's transportation commissioner applauded the opening of the state's first truck- stop electrification terminal at TR Auto Truck Plaza in Dandridge, a project taxpayers paid for with a $424,000 federal stimulus fund grant.

Thursday, the shiny new equipment languished uselessly as U.S. Bank took possession of the bankrupt business after an auction at the Jefferson County Courthouse failed to solicit a single bid.

While not as spectacular a flop as Solyndra - the California solar panel manufacturer that filed for bankruptcy last month after receiving a $535 million guarantee from the federal government - the truck stop's collapse further illustrates flaws in the way stimulus projects were evaluated that extended to the state level.

Read more at The Tennessean

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