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Shelby County officials warn of hospital staffing shortages
Shelby County health officials warned county commissioners Wednesday that hospital capacity hasn’t fully recovered from the effects of previous COVID-19 variants before Omicron caused infections to reach their highest point in the pandemic in the past week. During a county committee meeting, Shelby County Health Director Michelle Taylor briefed commissioners on COVID trends since the […]
Tennessee’s biggest stories of 2021
The second year of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that issues related to it stayed at the top of the news, from debates over masking and corporate vaccine requirements to whether Tennessee’s medical board can punish physicians for giving out incorrect medical information about COVID. But with three special sessions in addition to the regular legislative […]
Questions linger of TVA move to relocated coal ash in Memphis
On Tuesday, Memphis city council members discussed the difficulties they’ve had getting clear answers from TVA on the agency’s decision to relocate coal ash to Southeast Memphis. Since routine groundwater monitoring found elevated levels of arsenic in ponds situated over the Memphis Sand Aquifer, TVA officials have been under pressure to remove coal ash stored […]
Tennessee’s Hispanic residents have borne brunt of COVID-19 pandemic
On Sunday, staff at El Hornitos Bakery in Nashville celebrated their seventh year in operation knowing they are among the Latino businesses that survived a pandemic that has devastated the community. It’s been nearly two years since COVID-19 spread among Nashville’s Latino residents, and as the months ensued, El Hornitos owner Luis Rojas, noticed more […]
“One of the worst maps I’ve ever seen.”
After Fayette County’s redistricting plan drew backlash from civil-rights advocates, the county board of commissioners held another special session to create minority representation. In doing so, the board approved a map that was “visually offensive and electorally inadequate,” said Civil Watkins, a Black resident, school board member and president of the Fayette County Democratic Party. […]
Rogue funeral director continues operation
About three months ago, Guliana Miranda and her husband learned they were the only family members in the U.S. who could oversee the funeral proceedings of a recently departed family member and heard about a Spanish-speaking funeral director, Reid Van Ness, who could help them. They knew Dolores Jimenez Garcia, a relative of her husband, […]
“Why do we have to consider minorities?”
Civil Miller Watkins, a Black resident of Fayette County, made sure to attend as many redistricting meetings as possible, knowing the county had a penchant for disenfranchising her community. As the vice-chair of the Fayette County School Board, Watkins was also well versed in the politics of a rural county. Fayette County’s population has grown […]
Memphis to honor Young Dolph with street naming
Rapper Young Dolph’s life was taken away in a city that he loved and cared for through charitable acts, said Memphis residents, who asked the Memphis City Council to rename a street after him. ““It wasn’t just his rap music. It wasn’t just a fact that he was a local star that became a nationally […]
Immigrant groups address abuse of undocumented workers
Armando Arzate has lived and worked in Nashville for 22 years but said his documentation status allowed his employers to take advantage of him, and Tennessee law offered him few protections from retaliation if he complained. Since then he’s joined Worker’s Dignity, an organization that supports low wage workers and working class residents, to represent […]
Shelby commission approves funds for refugee legal aid
The 25 Afghan refugees now living in Memphis need protection from deportation and the sooner they get legal protection, the better, said lawyers with a non profit legal organization. On Monday, the Shelby County Commission awarded $250,000 to the Community Legal Center to assist Afghan refugees in applying for permanent residence in the U.S. As […]
Ground zero for voting rights: Fayette County redistricting restricts Black representation
The Fayette County Board of Commissioners could face litigation from civil-rights advocates after a controversial decision restricting the county’s large Black population from representation. Located in West Tennessee, Fayette County’s population experienced significant growth at a rate of more than 9% over the last decade. Specifically, families moved away from the rural east corner of […]
Shelby Commission group recommends funds for Afghan refugees
Afghan refugees who fled their home country under Taliban rule still face deportation, said lawyers during a Shelby County Commission meeting. On Wednesday, members of the Community Legal Center met with commissioners at a committee meeting to discuss the funds they need to provide legal services to 36 Afghan refugees resettling in Memphis. After the […]