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FAA won’t recognize new Nashville airport board until the state and city resolve the lawsuit
The Federal Aviation Administration has informed Tennessee and Nashville officials it will continue to recognize the current airport board until a court rules on a pending lawsuit over its makeup. In a letter sent the Nashville airport authority, the FAA cited the uncertainty around lawsuit over as a reason to keep recognizing the status quo. […]
As Nashville racetrack deal faces narrow deadline, third lawsuit filed over approval vote
As a plan to renovate the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway faces a tight deadline at the Metro Council, a third lawsuit dropped to stop the state from making it easier for the deal to pass. A group of Nashville residents living in the neighborhoods surrounding the track filed a suit Monday, joining the Metro Nashville Legal […]
Legislative office lawyers say TN records laws don’t apply to them in lawsuit over ethics docs
Lawyers for the Tennessee legislative office believe the state’s public records don’t apply to the legislative body, and it would violate the separation of government powers for a court to compel to release the documents related to their investigation into sexual harassment allegations against former Republican Rep. Scotty Campbell. Attorneys for the Tennessee Office of […]
T.J. Ducklo, Nashville mayor’s communication head, to join Biden 2024 team
Three years after stepping down as White House deputy press secretary, T.J. Ducklo is returning to President Joe Biden’s team as a communications advisor to his 2024 re-election campaign. On Friday, Biden’s campaign confirmed to the Lookout Ducklo, 34, will serve as Senior Advisor for Communications to the campaign, which is expected to be based […]
Progressive groups wonder about the impact of Supreme Court gerrymandering ruling on TN
The fate of two of Tennessee’s state election maps could get a ruling in the coming weeks, while a potential lawsuit could challenge Congressional drawings after a favorable U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Lawyers in a suit challenging the the legality of 2022 state House and Senate redistricting maps submitted their post-trial briefs to the Davidson […]
Analysis: 3rd-grade reading scores by school districts in Tennessee
Third-grade reading scores by school district show a slight improvement for most Tennessee schools in 2023 compared to the average of recent years. Last week Tennessee released its statewide testing scores, showing 60% of third graders weren’t proficient at reading. This is common — never have more than half of all Tennessee third graders been […]
Nashville sues to block law lowering the votes needed to approve new NASCAR track
Metro Nashville’s legal department filed a lawsuit to block a new state law making it easier for the Metro Council to approve a new racetrack at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. The measure — passed by Tennessee lawmakers earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee on May 5 — overturned a Metro Nashville […]
Tennessee’s 3rd-grade reading test scores rise and fall in a pattern
During any given year over the last decade, at least half of Tennessee third graders were deemed not proficient in reading, according to data from the Department of Education. Starting in 2011, Tennessee lawmakers tried to address this problem by passing legislation to allow local districts to hold back students who didn’t pass the third-grade […]
Nashville unlikely to sue over state eliminating police oversight board; airport suit coming
Metro Nashville is unlikely to file a lawsuit over state legislation eliminating its civilian police oversight board, leaving a community lawsuit as potentially the only option. Jill Fitcheard, the executive director of Metro Nashville Community Oversight Department, told the Lookout that latest discussions with Metro’s legal department indicate the city won’t file a lawsuit challenging […]
Judge says former Sen. Brian Kelsey can’t take back guilty plea
Former state Sen. Brian Kelsey won’t be allowed to change his guilty plea on charges that he illegally funneled money to his failed 2016 Congressional campaign. The ruling — by a federal judge Tuesday — sets up a July sentencing hearing for the former Germantown Republican. Kelsey pleaded guilty in November to one count of […]
Hillsdale applications hint at links between charter school and Common Core
Hillsdale College’s affiliated charter schools are asking for an exception in Tennessee law to teach a curriculum linked with Common Core, which state lawmakers banned twice. American Classical Education (ACE) — the Hillsdale-affiliated charter school group — asked in its five applications for an exception to Tennessee’s Unapproved Textbook law, which is common among charter […]
Analysis: How Nashville and its suburbs subsidize Tennessee’s state government
The vast majority of Tennessee counties rely on Nashville-Davidson and Williamson counties to provide the tax dollars to keep funding state operations in their counties, an analysis by the Tennessee Lookout found. Across Tennessee, 79 out of 95 counties generate less tax revenue than the state spends in their counties. The largest costs are direct […]