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Former House Speaker Glen Casada and aide indicted on bribery, kickback charges
Former Tennessee House Speaker Rep. Glen Casada and his chief of staff were arrested at their homes by FBI agents Tuesday morning after a federal grand jury on Monday issued an indictment on 20-counts involving bribery, theft from programs receiving federal funds, kickbacks, conspiracy to commit money laundering and other charges, according to a news […]
With abortion ban days away, clinics prepare to close
Over its 48-year history, CHOICES became the first clinic to provide abortions in Memphis, and now it is the last. On Wednesday, the facility’s staff will treat their final abortion patient just ahead of the state’s total ban. “It’s been a gut-punch. It’s a loss, and there is grief that comes with that,” said Jennifer […]
Retiring state Sen. Mike Bell, leaving office early, joins Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Outgoing Republican state Sen. Mike Bell, who announced plans to retire from the Legislature last year, will assume a leadership position inside the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency beginning Aug. 31, the agency announced Wednesday. Bell will serve as the agency’s senior advisor for Legislative affairs and policy, interacting with lawmakers to promote the wildlife and […]
Child sex abuse lawsuit against USA Fencing, Nashville coach placed on hold
A lawsuit alleging a Nashville fencing coach sexually abused a 13-year-old girl over a two year period will remain on hold until the criminal case against him is resolved, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. The coach, 38-year-old Robert Piraino, remains in a Nashville jail, charged with 108 counts involving sexual abuse of the girl, whose […]
Murfreesboro files suit against Middle Point Landfill, alleging new evidence of harmful runoff
Lawyers for the city of Murfreesboro have filed suit in federal court against the owners of Middle Point Landfill — the latest development in an ongoing dispute pitting one of Middle Tennessee’s fastest growing suburbs against the nation’s No. 2 provider of trash services, Republic Services. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in […]
Lawsuit: US Olympic fencing organization failed to prevent sexual abuse of Nashville athlete
Officials with USA Fencing, the national governing body for the sport, knew that Nashville’s premier swordsmanship coach was engaging in sexually inappropriate and abusive behavior, yet failed to act before the sought-after instructor went on to sexually abuse a 13-year-old girl over a two-year period, a lawsuit filed in federal court alleges. The coach, Robert […]
A month after abortion ruling, closed clinics and uncertainty in Tennessee
In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal guarantee to an abortion, at least two Tennessee clinics have announced they will close, other providers are directing patients out of state and advocates are gearing up for upcoming battles at the state Capitol. Currently, Tennessee has a 6-week abortion ban, which outlaws abortions […]
DCS chief is replaced — the latest departure from Gov. Bill Lee’s cabinet
Department of Children’s Services Commissioner Jennifer Nichols has been replaced — the latest among Gov. Bill Lee’s cabinet to leave state government. Nichols’ tenure — Lee appointed her to the job in 2019 — was marked by controversies that included a Tennessee Lookout report last year of children sleeping in state office buildings and news […]
Study: state should not restrict local government authority over development
In Tennessee local governments have long required developers to dedicate portions of their land for public use — to widen roads or add sidewalks, for example — often over the developers’ objections. Last year, Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, and Rep. Ryan Williams, D-Cookeville, introduced a bill to try and limit local government’s authority over such […]
24 Tennessee counties newly at “high risk” for COVID, as infections rise across the state
If it seems like more people in your orbit have been coming down with COVID recently, it’s not your imagination. COVID is spreading again, not yet at the same high levels of last spring, but the disease is experiencing a noticeable spike in Tennessee and across the country. One in four Tennessee counties is now […]
Early voting is underway: Here’s what you need to know about how to cast your ballot in Tennessee
Tennessee’s early voting season is underway ahead of the August 4 primary election, which features each party’s candidates for governor, the state Legislature and Congress — along with five open seats on the Tennessee Supreme Court. The midterm elections in some of Tennessee’s 95 counties also include races for district attorney, local judges and ballot […]
U.S. Supreme Court’s recent environmental ruling renews spotlight on TVA
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling limiting the power of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon emissions that cause climate change has renewed the spotlight on the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public utility and Tennessee’s primary source of electricity. The case involved EPA efforts to implement a key provision of the Clean Air […]