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TennCare adds more than 83,000 as pandemic drives more Tennesseans into poverty
More than 83,000 Tennesseans have been added to the TennCare rolls since March in one sign of a marked slide into poverty experienced by many individuals, especially children, as a result of the economic fallout of the pandemic. Children’s enrollment increased the fastest, with upwards of 34,000 added to the state’s health insurance program for […]
SCOTUS hears oral arguments Tuesday in pivotal Obamacare challenge
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in a closely-watched challenge to the Affordable Care Act brought by the Trump Administration and Attorneys General from 20 states, including Tennessee. Should the challenge prevail — and in the absence of any Congressional or executive action to replace Obamacare before the court is expected to […]
Workers compensation elusive for many Tennessee workers stricken by coronavirus
Since the onset of the pandemic, thousands of Tennesseans have filed claims for workers compensation tied to COVID-19, seeking help with lost wages and medical bills due to illness. As of mid-October, more than 44% of initial claims were denied, illuminating the challenges for some ill employees of connecting their illness with their workplaces. The […]
Politics is still local: a look at the local referenda and races impacting small towns across Tennessee
While all eyes remain on the as-yet undecided presidential race, voters in small towns across Tennessee went to the polls on Tuesday to cast ballots focused on hyperlocal issues and candidates and achieved historic results in some instances. Here’s a look at some of those election outcomes and what they mean for Tennessee communities: Liquor […]
Some Tennessee residents hunker down on Election Day, worried about strife
Miranda McDonald headed to an East Nashville Kroger store Monday to stock up on two weeks’ worth of groceries for herself and her mother, topped up the car’s gas tank and prepared — if need be — to hunker down at home in the days and weeks to follow one of the most volatile elections […]
Rural jail populations surge again posing new risks as coronavirus cases spike
After an initial reduction in jail populations at the start of the epidemic, thousands of men and women have been newly incarcerated in local lockups across Tennessee — creating overcrowded conditions in rural counties even as the state experiences record levels of death and infection as COVID-19 continues its spread outside urban areas. Data from […]
COVID-19 case load becomes critical in Northeast Tennessee
In a 21 county region encompassing northeast Tennessee and parts of Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky, officials at one hospital chain say they are on the verge of exceeding their capacity to care for coronavirus and other patients. Ballad Health provides the vast majority of hospital care in the region known as the Appalachian Highlands […]
Nashville Rescue Mission women’s shelter closed amid COVID-19 outbreak
The Nashville Rescue Mission’s women’s campus is now closed to new admissions after scores of residents and at least six staff members tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Metro Public Health Department and a Rescue Mission spokeswoman. An additional 40 people connected to the campus have tested positive for coronavirus since 16 initial cases […]
COVID cases rise 50% among school age children across Tennessee since early August
At a COVID-19 briefing Thursday morning, Nashville Public Health Director Dr. Michael Caldwell cautioned that the city is seeing an unwelcome upsurge in coronavirus infections. Among the driving factors? Children, from infants to 17 years old, whose case rates have spiked 93% since the beginning of September, Caldwell said. Case rates mark the prevalence of […]
Nashville DA Glenn Funk joins list of prosecutors pledging not to enforce laws criminalizing abortion
Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk has joined a list of more than 60 elected prosecutors who have pledged not to enforce laws criminalizing abortion in a collective statement released Thursday. The statement pledged a commitment from prosecutors in 30 states and the District of Columbia to “not prosecute women who obtain abortions and health care […]
Nashville voters wait in long lines on first day of early voting
Nashville voters flocked to the polls on Wednesday, in some cases standing in long, socially-distanced lines for hours on the first day of early voting. Tennessee isn’t exactly a battleground state, with President Donald Trump widely expected to safely win its 11 electoral votes. Republican candidate Bill Hagerty is also viewed as the decisive favorite […]
Judge strikes Tennessees’s 48-hour abortion waiting period, but the wait may not be over
A federal judge on Wednesday handed abortion rights supporters a major victory when he struck down a 48-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions that has been a routine part of terminating a pregnancy in Tennessee for the past five years. It remains unclear whether the ruling will give women more immediate and full access […]