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Memphis commissioner questions jail “virtual visit” charges
Shelby County’s contract with a prison telecom company was supposed to allow jail inmates to have contact with loved ones, but instead those loved ones are being used for profit, said Commissioner Tami Sawyer. The Shelby County Board of Commissioners will vote Monday on amending the county’s current contract with Global Tel Link (GTL), which […]
Franklin group to mark Juneteenth with first-time public ceremony
The Franklin Justice & Equity Coalition (FJEC) and the Fuller Story announced their plans Tuesday to commemorate Juneteenth with a ceremony and a bronze statue of a U.S. Colored Troops soldier in front of Franklin’s Historic Courthouse. In collaboration with the Civil War Commission and the Battle of Franklin Trust, the group will hold a […]
Shelby County adds mental health training for firefighters
On Wednesday, Shelby County Commissioners voted 10-0 on a resolution creating a partnership between the Shelby County Fire Department and Alliance Healthcare Services. Through the agreement, Shelby County firefighters will be trained to respond and transport individuals suffering from mental health crises to the appropriate facilities to get help. Commissioner David Bradford, the sponsor of […]
TIRRC pushes Congress to create easier path to citizenship
Immigrants and new Americans made up a large portion of essential workers during the pandemic, and Tennessee immigrant advocates joined a nationwide effort urging Congress to create an easier path to citizenship. Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) held a rally Tuesday night to call on representatives and senators to promote the interests of […]
Nashville Police diversity chief discusses outreach efforts
In 2005, Capt. Carlos Lara arrived in Nashville just in time to witness how the city coped with a new wave of immigrants, and although he didn’t know it at the time, Lara would use his early experiences to become Metro Nashville Police Department’s first Latino Captain and chief diversity officer. Born and raised in […]
Memphis minister joins national group calling for end to filibuster
A Memphis pastor joined other Christian leaders from across the nation on Thursday to call for a reform of filibuster tactics that could prevent an upcoming voting rights bill aimed at voter suppression legislation. Rev. J. Lawrence Turner, pastor at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, joined Bishop William J. Barber II and the […]
Hispanic leaders develop resources to help businesses
Hispanic businesses are the backbone of society, and more needs to be done to protect them in times of crisis, said Hispanic leaders. On Tuesday night, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and two representatives from the Nashville-Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (NAHCC) held a roundtable discussion to talk about efforts to keep Hispanic businesses afloat […]
Grassroots groups weigh in on Nashville Budget
The COVID-19 pandemic caused long-simmering socio-economic problems to surface for Nashvillians, and activists are asking Metro’s upcoming budget to reflect much needed infrastructure. On Friday, representatives from Workers Dignity, Black Nashville Assembly, Nashville People’s Budget Coalition and others offered grades on a wide variety of city services to show city officials what they want emphasized […]
The Byhalia Pipeline: What you need to know
In Memphis, the Byhalia Pipeline has been controversial since it was proposed in 2019. Criticis say that it would cause an environmental disaster for some Shelby County residents. The joint venture operation between Texas-based Plains All American Pipeline and Valero Energy Corporation plans to build a 49-mile route between the Valero Memphis Refinery and the […]
Sepulveda navigates politics as Nashville’s only Latina council member
When Sandra Sepulveda started her campaign for Metro Nashville Council as a young Latina woman, she was told she needed to be a “white woman’s pet” to get elected into office, or else the political world would eat her alive. She remembers those words vividly, but they only intensified her conviction to be the first […]
Nashville’s Asian-American leaders push back on racism and violence
As hate crimes against Asian Americans have risen, Rabecca (Hee Kyung) Shin has spent the last few months helping members of her community mourn. One morning, Shin received a call from a worried mother in South Korea looking for her 29-year-old daughter living in Nashville. The mother reported that her daughter had sold all her […]
Alcoa City Schools joins lawsuit against e-cigarette makers
An East Tennessee small town school district has grown so frustrated with the growing epidemic of vaping among their students that officials decided to sue the e-cigarette manufacturers. Officials with Alcoa City School in Blount County said the vaping epidemic had reached their 2,095 students to the extent that they were now hiring monitors to […]