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Middle Tennessee’s art community on hiatus
Tennesseans who rely on performing arts for relaxation will have fewer options in the coming year, as many organizations suspend programming and many performers face unemployment. Nashville will be having a quiet summer this year as arts communities scramble for ways to survive the pandemic and the suspension of most live performances. The Nashville Symphony […]
Food assistance now available to families
The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) announced on Monday that Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) is now available for families needing financial support to meet their children’s nutritional needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. TDHS in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) began providing P-EBT to families on Friday through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) […]
Tennessee’s Hispanic community absorbs a third of COVID cases
Manuel Caló, a 56-year-old Nashville construction worker from Guatemala, fell so ill so quickly that, although he took the test for COVID-19, he couldn’t wait for the results. Friends took him to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was placed on oxygen and hospitalized for four days. Even feeling so sick, Caló had to overcome […]
BREAKING: Nashville Symphony cancels 2020-2021 season
The Nashville Symphony announced Friday the suspension of all concerts through summer of next year, furloughing many musicians and staff members. The decision comes despite projected losses to reach $8 million while 79 musicians and 49 full-time staff have been furloughed. “This was an extremely difficult decision to make,” said Board Chair Dr. Mark Peacock. […]
Teachers concerned budget cuts will cause strain in school reopening plans
School officials have begun to work out details to reopen school for the fall, but many educators worry that education budget cuts will put a greater strain on teachers and students alike. Districts across Tennessee currently have task forces composed of members of the community and most have released few details about reopening schools for […]
Legislature to vote on updating lead testing for public school buildings
The Tennessee House of Representatives will vote Wednesday on a bill to revise a 2019 law enacted to minimize potential sources of lead contamination from public school drinking water and child-care programs. Introduced by Rep. London Lamar, provisions require officials to notify parents within 24 hours when lead levels exceed legal limits, to retest within […]
Funds for summer food program not reaching Tennessee families
Summer food programs have become a necessity for families experiencing unemployment under COVID-19, but an emergency program approved for Tennessee families hasn’t reached them yet. Lakeisha Johnson has one of those families. The last few months have been difficult for her and her three children. The single mother from Memphis had to console her youngest […]
Updated: Nashville apparel store draws charges of racism from former employees
After Nashville apparel company Project 615 released a t-shirt design supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, ex-employees weighed in on social media alleging the company fired them for supporting the black community. April Kirby, who worked for Project 615 for 11 months in 2017-2018, spoke out against the company in a heated Instagram post. “I […]
Sixth night of protests in Middle Tennessee stay peaceful
Protests stemming from the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis May 25 continued in Middle Tennessee for the sixth night in a row. In Nashville, thousands gathered at Bicentennial Mall for a rally organized by teenagers with the Black Lives Matter movement. The diverse group moved through downtown streets chanting and accepting bottles of water […]
East Tennessee migrant workers at mercy of employers
Evensville, Tenn. – In April, nearly 200 migrant workers came to Rhea County from Mexico to grow tomatoes, then in May they seemingly vanished. With long, winding unpaved roads leading deep into untouched forest, Rhea County seems disconnected from the rest of Tennessee, and this seemingly innocuous fact is reinforced when some of their population […]
Tennessee faith leaders react to Trump photo-op
Religious leaders from across Tennessee reacted to a White House tweet showing President Donald Trump’s response to protests that have rocked the country in recent days. The video displayed in the tweet shows President Trump walking toward and standing in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church while holding a Bible in front of the church’s […]
COVID-19 spike in heavily immigrant communities tied to fear of ‘Public Charge’
A “heat map” released by Metro Nashville officials shows concentrations of COVID-19 cases in two Davidson County zip codes — 37211 and 37013 — that are home to many of the area’s immigrants. Some local advocates for the immigrant community say fear of the federal policy known as “Public Charge” is one reason for the […]