Author
Waverly, Tenn. flood survivors sue CSX rail company for “man made tidal wave”
Following unprecedented flooding that killed 22 people in Waverly, TN in late August last year, ten families announced a class action lawsuit yesterday against a local rail company they believe is partly responsible. The group says CSX Transportation knew about infrastructure problems with a levee that broke and caused a 7-ft tidal wave but chose […]
Fired Starbucks employees in Memphis rally with Three Brothers Coffee workers
Following a small weekend rally of about 20 employees from Three Brothers Coffee in Nashville and the Starbucks at Poplar and Highland in Memphis, on Wednesday Three Brothers owners handed an anti-union letter encouraging workers to vote against the group in a possible election. The letter falsely told workers they would be charged up to […]
2022 could break anti-LGBTQ legislation records
Tennessee’s legislative season is concerning transgender constituents, LGBTQ+ activists and officials around the country. The state could break its 2021 record by passing the most anti-LGBTQ legislation yet. Freedom for All Americans lists 14 bills on its anti-transgender legislative tracker, including one that would make gender-affirming healthcare for kids a crime. According to the Human […]
Union organizers get pushback from Three Brothers Coffee owners
Three Brothers Coffee co-owners are pushing back against unionization efforts at the Nashville location on West End Avenue, potentially delaying the first unionized coffee shop in the city and forcing an election in order to be recognized. TJ Wilt Jr., is part owner of the shop and sent an email to employees, obtained by Tennessee […]
Three Brothers Coffee may become first union shop in town
A group of baristas and organizers gathered around a small bonfire in the chilly air Thursday night, ensuring everyone was on board with the union recognition letter the group delivered Friday to Three Brothers Coffee. If recognized, the shop on West End Avenue would become the first unionized coffee shop in Nashville and potentially the […]
Building on years of archival work to uncover Nashville’s Black history
Old family friends in Nashville have been connected by a painful shared history for generations without knowing the source, but Angela Sutton, Ph.D., is putting together the centuries-old puzzles pieces. Sutton, an assistant professor of communications studies at Vanderbilt University, is director of the Fort Negley Descendents Project and uncovered the names of 255 Black […]
Waverly residents still struggle to recover from flooding as local unions help out
Following devastating flooding that killed 20 people in Waverly, TN, in late August, volunteers from local unions are helping fill in the gaps in rebuilding efforts. AP News reported that 17 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours on August 21, 2021, on the small town in Middle Tennessee and took out homes, […]
Nashville-based property management company investigated for elder abuse
Taliafaro, a Nashville-based property management company that oversees a senior living facility in New Orleans, LA, has been accused of abandoning and allegedly abusing residents before and after Hurricane Ida. Many residents at Boyd Manor have chronic illnesses and say the heat, lack of water, power and medicine made their conditions dire for almost two […]
Tennessee professors and historians uncover history of convict leasing in the state
The mostly-forgotten history of Tennessee’s convict leasing, which used prison labor to mine coal in the mountains during the 1800s, is being brought to light by a team of professors and genealogists across the state. Dr. Camille Westmont, a postdoctoral fellow in historical archaeology at Sewanee, is searching for answers to the Lone Rock Stockade’s […]
Memphis HIV/AIDS nonprofit gets boost from Lil Nas X
Representatives for the Memphis-based nonprofit Relationship Unleashed (RUNL) announced Friday the group has been chosen for rapper and singer-songwriter Lil Nas X’s “baby registry” to celebrate the release of his new record. Montero is the artist’s debut full-length album; he’s worn a pregnancy belly and called the new album his “baby.” Lil Nas is asking […]
Bredesen company brings renewable energy to small companies
Following a groundbreaking ceremony held earlier in September, solar startup Clearloop is set to bring economic and workforce development to Jackson, TN. The new project, co-founded by former governor Phil Bredesen, offers companies the chance to invest in renewable energy and offset their carbon footprint. Because there’s no minimum investment, Clearloop gives smaller companies and […]
“The thought of having to sit up was like climbing Mt. Everest”
Lesa Schultz has been sick for about 17 months. One of the “first wavers,” Schultz got COVID-19 on a trip home from Los Angeles in March of 2020 before the first pandemic lockdowns began in Tennessee. Schultz, a self-employed consultant, joins many Tennesseeans in suffering from long COVID. According to the World Health Organization, patients […]