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Unemployed Tennesseans may now qualify for free heath insurance
Tennesseans who collected as little as one week in unemployment insurance in 2021 can now qualify for free — or nearly free — health insurance through the federal healthcare marketplace. As part of the American Rescue Plan COVID relief package signed into law by President Joe Biden, individuals who received — or are approved to […]
State regulators plan to loosen runoff rules at construction sites
A state plan to rollback longstanding regulations for construction site runoff is drawing opposition from environmental groups who fear that Tennessee creeks ands streams will suffer. Stormwater discharges from construction sites —rainwater that sweeps soil or other particles off-site — can flow into nearby waterways, often creating silt deposits that impact aquatic life and water […]
‘Y’all are crappy neighbors’: Rutherford County residents slam landfill expansion plan at public hearing
Rutherford county residents on Monday evening blasted a plan to expand a regional landfill located in fast-growing Murfreesboro suburbs that serves as the final destination for trash from 27 surrounding counties. Republic Services, operators of the Middle Point Landfill, have proposed expanding the controversial landfill by nearly 100 acres, lengthening its estimated 7 years of […]
Law enforcement officials investigating report of abuse at Chattanooga facility for migrant kids
State and federal authorities, along with local law enforcement, are investigating a report of child abuse at a Chattanooga facility that has come under fire from Tennessee’s Republican lawmakers for housing migrant children picked up by federal border authorities. The abuse was reported to officials with the Department of Children’s Services, accompanied by an interpreter, […]
Report: Essential workers, parents lose out on state’s refusal to expand TennCare
Of the 119,000 Tennesseans who would qualify for state-funded healthcare insurance under a state Medicaid expansion, 28,000 are essential workers and 11,000 are parents with children at home, a new analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found. Tennessee is one of 12 states that has refused to expand its Medicaid program under […]
State lawmakers cut big oil a big break
Two weeks after the formal close of the Tennessee legislative season, a committee of lawmakers agreed to give the state’s petroleum companies a big break. The Joint Government Operations Committee approved new rules that shift the financial burden of cleaning up toxic spills at gas stations and truck stops from business owners to taxpayers for […]
In Giles County, private probation companies profited from probationers
Karen McNeil was arrested in 2015 for the misdemeanor offense of driving on a revoked license in Giles County. What happened next nearly broke her. Sentenced to four months of probation under the supervision of a private, for-profit company, McNeil’s life soon revolved around the demands of her probation officer. Charged fees she could not […]
While battles loom over landfills, Middle Tennessee hurtles toward a trash crisis
From a lawsuit over the rejected expansion of a landfill in Nashville to the protracted political battle over closing the landfill in Murfreesboro, the urgency of Middle Tennessee’s trash crisis has increased in intensity in recent months. The situation has all the ingredients for a political logjam. Neighborhoods across the region have made blocking new […]
Report: $126M price tag for cleaning up Tennessee’s abandoned coal fields
Tennessee has more than 14,000 acres of abandoned coal fields, but the cost of remediation —such as replanting trees and improving water quality — far outweigh the federal funding available to the state, a new report shows. The report by the Ohio River Valley Institute, a think tank dedicated to examining Appalachia, concluded that the […]
Funeral board warns consulates against unlicensed Tennessee funeral director as more bodies go missing
Tennessee officials this week cautioned the Mexican and Guatemalan consulates in Atlanta against doing business with an ex-funeral director and embalmer who lost his licenses more than a year ago for failing to send bodies of deceased immigrants overseas for burial.
Williamson Co. judge dismisses mask mandate suit, but is ‘unconvinced’ schools can require masks
A Williamson County judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging mask mandates in public schools on narrow grounds, saying he remained “unconvinced” the county’s board of education has the authority to enact or enforce such rules.
Waste Management sues Davidson County over landfill expansion rejection
A fight over the future of a controversial landfill in Nashville’s predominantly Black Bordeaux neighborhood has now landed in court. Waste Management, the owner of the Southern Services Construction & Demolition landfill, filed suit in Davidson County Chancery Court after an oversight board rejected its plans to expand its 77-acre landfill by an additional 17 […]