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Lawmakers weigh in to oppose TWRA clearcutting
Elected officials who occupy positions on hunting-oriented caucuses are weighing in on a controversial plan to clear hardwood trees in order to create a grassy habitat for quail — a game bird — on popular wilderness area in White County. U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper, D-Nashville, and state Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Nashville — members, respectively, of […]
COVID death toll among Tennessee public school employees rises
School counselors were on-hand at Walter Hill Elementary in Rutherford County as students and staff learned Thursday of the latest COVID death to impact the school system: a 49-year-old custodian, who had worked at other schools in the district before starting a new job at the elementary school in September. The employee, Angela Dawn Crook, […]
Congressional sportsmen’s group endorses clearcutting plan
A controversial plan by state wildlife officials to raze portions of a popular recreational area in White County got a surprising stamp of approval from the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to support the hunting and fishing policy objectives advanced by federal and state lawmakers The endorsement came as a surprise because […]
Shakeup at Department of Education includes demotion of state’s top special education official
As Gov. Bill Lee battles lawsuits from parents of kids with disabilities — along with a federal civil rights investigation into whether his ban on universal masking in schools discriminates against kids at high risk for serious illness from COVID — the state’s top special education official has been demoted. Theresa Nicholls served as Assistant […]
TWRA officials face pushback over plans to raze old-growth forests in White County
SPARTA, Tenn. — Officials with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency faced considerable pushback Monday night at a public meeting in Sparta over plans to raze old growth forest in a popular hunting and recreation area located about about halfway between Nashville and Knoxville. A standing room-only crowd of more than 200 people filled the town’s […]
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency plans to raze old-growth forest
SPARTA, Tenn. — It’s a pretty bird, easily recognizable by dark stripes on rust colored feathers and a distinct two-syllable chirp that announces its name: “bob” (the first note) then “white” at a different pitch — also known as the Northern Bobwhite, a species of quail. The otherwise unassuming bird is now at the center […]
COVID-19 deaths of public school employees climb
Two long-time Clarksville teachers — both military veterans, men in their early 50’s who worked as social studies teachers in the same tight-knit middle school — died within a week of one after suffering complications from COVID-19, leaving students, employees and families “heartbroken from the loss of these amazing educators.” The men are among four […]
Katie Beckett program for kids with disabilities falls short in first year
A program for Tennessee children with disabilities or complex medical needs has enrolled fewer than 1,000 children as it nears the end of its first year in operation, far short of the 3,000 children that state officials originally estimated would be served annually. The Katie Beckett program was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee […]
“I feel like the public schools have let us down.”
Last school year wasn’t easy, but with the help of his mother, Joey Doherty kept up with Zoom classes taught by the special education teachers he has known for years. This year, Joey – a high school senior who is 19 years old, blind in one eye, has Down Syndrome and a host of resulting […]
Tennessee businesses grapple with Biden vaccine-or test-mandate
Like many home contractors, Juan Lombera has had to weather a year-and-a-half of havoc wrought by the pandemic just to stay in business: supply chain slow-downs, labor shortages, workers out sick with COVID all while consumer demand for home improvement — and the marble, slate and quartz countertops Lombera specializes in — continues to rise. […]
At least 14 Tennessee public school employees lost to COVID since academic year began
At least 14 employees of Tennessee public schools have died since the academic year began after contracting COVID-19 — a toll that no single public or private agency tracks. The deaths, confirmed by the Tennessee Lookout, include a 42-year-old Metro Nashville Public Schools bus driver who “devoted himself to making sure every child on his […]
Four candidates charged by ethics and finance commission
The Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance of the Tennessee Ethics Commission on Tuesday filed suit against four local political candidates for failing to comply with campaign disclosure rules. The commission has the authority to assess civil penalties against candidates for failing to file campaign reports that provide a public accounting of a candidate’s […]