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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 high note) then “white” at a lower 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 […]
COVID toll rises in Tennessee’s DIDD community
As the COVID-19 delta strain continues to infect more Tennesseans, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities supported by state programs, and the staff members who care for them, have seen a notable uptick in infections since July as well. DIDD programs serve a total of about 12,500 people with disabilities. At least 1,692 tested positive […]
8 Tennessee public school employees dead from COVID in first month of school
Just before she went to bed on Tuesday, Tennessee Education Association president Beth Brown got word of yet another public school teacher who died this week as a result of COVID-19. Brown returned to what has now become a painful but familiar ritual since the pandemic first began. “One of the very last things I […]
COVID cases among kids in DCS custody mount
At least 83 kids living in residential treatment facilities that contract with the Department of Children’s Services to provide round-the-clock therapeutic care have tested positive for COVID-19 since July 1, part of a surge in child infections across the state. This summer’s escalation in childhood infections — 50,795 Tennessee school-aged children have tested positive since […]
Texas law sets stage for Tennessee’s next abortion battles
On the same day a Texas law went into affect banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, advocates on both sides of the abortion debate were preparing for impact in Tennessee. Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and Northern Mississippi is on standby and ready to offer financial and logistical assistance to Texas women who decide […]