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Settled into new homes, refugees in US say they are working for a better life for all
Violence, persecution and wars amid a global pandemic added to the growing number of displaced persons around the world last year. The United Nations reports that 11.2 million people were displaced from their homelands in 2020, bringing the total number of displaced persons in the world to 82.4 million. Of those forced to flee their […]
Crisis center partners with Metro Nashville cops on de-escalation training
The disheveled, middle-aged man struggled against the Metro Nashville Police officer hauling him into the Crisis Treatment Center for a psychiatric evaluation, his loud mumbling muffled by the glass in the treatment room. From an enclosed glass room in the center of the facility, mental healthcare workers watched calmly as the man was processed and […]
Shelby Schools split with historic agency dominates county commission meeting
Shelby County Board of Commissioners addressed the dissolution of a contract between Shelby County Schools and Porter-Leath, the historic Memphis preschool agency, at Wednesday’s regular session. Last week, Porter-Leath officials learned that Shelby County Schools would not be renewing their organization’s contract to provide thousands of students with preschool classes. For decades, Porter-Leath has provided […]
Memphis votes to set $2.71 tax rate
The Memphis City Council voted Tuesday to certify the city’s tax rate at $2.71 after back and forth discussion. Before the vote concluded, Councilmember Martavius Jones proposed increasing the tax rate in order to improve long standing issues in the city, such as the affordable housing crisis, the Memphis Area Transit Authority and numerous trash-pick […]
Eviction moratorium nears end and oustings have started
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention federal eviction moratorium doesn’t end until June 30, but evictions are already starting to rise across the state. Eviction notices at Mosaic Apartments in South Nashville made headlines over the past two weeks, prompting local community leaders and officials to intervene and prevent nearly 90 families from being […]
Transgender people in Tennessee: How one business owner walks a fine line in a small city
For Wendy McCown-Williams, life as a transgender woman and a gay bar owner in a small Tennessee community can be a fine line to walk. Tennessee ended this year’s legislative session with multiple anti-transgender bills, and most recently passed a bill requiring businesses and government facilities to post a sign stating if they let transgender […]
Mosaic Apartments negotiations with tenants break down
Negotiations between Mosaic Apartments tenants and management ended abruptly after advocates accused the company of mishandling the tenants’ safety concerns. On Wednesday, a public meeting was held between the tenants and Village Green Management, a California-based company, in the hopes of coming to an agreement about whether nearly 100 tenants would be evicted from the […]
Lawsuit between Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee and national organization imperils cookie sales
An ongoing lawsuit may determine whether or not Girl Scouts will be selling cookies in Middle Tennessee next year. The Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee (GSMT) started in 1917 and has over 10,000 girls participating, but the past few years have been spent in conflict with their parent organization, Girl Scouts of the United States […]
Buttigieg: Memphis bridge stable but no reopen date set
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Thursday the Hernando de Soto Bridge in Memphis has been stabilized enough for crews to begin repairs but has yet to provide a reopening date. Buttigieg traveled to Memphis to hold a roundtable discussion with Tennessee leaders, including U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Congressman Steve Cohen, about infrastructure and […]
Memphis Council delays vote to preserve aquifer
The Memphis City Council is expected to make a final decision within the next few weeks on an ordinance regarding the Memphis Sand Aquifer and its preservation. On Tuesday, the council delayed a vote until July 6 to recognize the importance of the aquifer as the sole source of drinking water for many Shelby County […]
Immigrant rights, faith groups criticize Blackburn and Hagerty stance on immigrant children
Immigrant-rights advocates and faith-based coalitions criticized statements by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty about housing immigrant children in Tennessee. Reports by WRCB on Wednesday showed migrant children arriving in Hamilton County through Chattanooga’s Wilson Air Center and then boarding buses later verified to be under contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. Later […]
Painting project aims to dress up bombed Second Avenue
Ashley Bergeron had plans to be home in Nashville for Christmas morning, but a nagging feeling told her to make a last minute change of plans. The next morning, she woke up to the news that a suicidal man had detonated a bomb on historic Second Avenue, destroying a huge swath of it. The blast […]