Author

Dulce Torres Guzman

Dulce Torres Guzman

Dulce has written for the Nashville Scene and Crucero News. A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, she received the John Seigenthaler Award for Outstanding Graduate in Print Journalism in 2016. Torres Guzman is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She enjoys the outdoors and is passionate about preserving the environment and environmental issues.

Sandra Sepulveda outside Haywood Elementary School in South Nashville, which she attended and still lives near. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Tennessee Hispanic leaders create PAC and set sights on electoral wins

By: - May 5, 2021

On Wednesday, Tennessee Latino political leaders announced the creation of a PAC with the sole purpose of getting Latinos elected across the state. Fuerza, meaning “strength,” will represent the interests of the state’s growing Latino populations by identifying suitable Democratic candidates and providing the essential support to navigate a political sphere not familiar to Latino […]

Memphis residents pushed back against the Byhalia Pipeline project. (Photo by Karen Pulfer Focht)

Memphis council delays anti-Byhalia vote

By: - May 4, 2021

On Tuesday at the Memphis City Council meeting, advocates and critics of the Byhalia Pipeline achieved a truce of sorts and legal actions have been dismissed.  After almost a year of protests and legal action against construction of the Byhalia Pipeline through Memphis, the council agenda included a vote on an ordinance that would create […]

a shower hosted at Nashville's Cathedral of Praise by Meharry Medical College.

Housing may be key to high infant mortality numbers in Tennessee

By: - May 4, 2021

For decades, the Bordeaux community has been home to many of Nashville’s working and middle-class Black families, but the neighborhood’s quiet exterior hides efforts by the Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) to reduce infant mortality.  The latest maternal mortality report published by the Tennessee Department of Health revealed racial inequities when addressing why Black children […]

A 2018 photo from a TIRRC demonstration. (Photo: Jon Dragonette/TIRRC Facebook)

Tennessee immigrant groups, union organizers push back on preemptive laws

By: - April 30, 2021

Immigrant rights advocates and community organizers are urging legislators to restore critical decision making to local governments, adding that if COVID-19 has proven anything, it’s that local officials know what’s best for their residents.  Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and Stand Up Nashville (SUN), a coalition of community leaders and union organizers, joined […]

Metro Nashville Councilmember Zulfat Suara speaks at an Oct. 2020 event.(Photo: John Partipilo)

Nashville councilmembers ask Cooper for funds to address childhood trauma

By: - April 29, 2021

Nashville Metro Councilmember at Large Zulfat Suara led a Wednesday press conference to weigh in on Mayor John Cooper’s pending budget for the coming fiscal year. Her ask? Suara wants Cooper to include additional funding for  Metro Nashville Public Schools to help children recover from severe traumas experienced over the past year due to environmental […]

Shelby County Commission

Shelby County Commission quashes biennial property appraisal

By: - April 27, 2021

After a substantial debate, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted to withdraw a proposal to appraise property every two years.  The proposal was initiated by Melvin Burgess, the Shelby County assessor of property, who recommended the 2-year reappraisal plan to aid the city’s budget and to have Shelby County properties reflect market value.  The […]

Conceptual rendering of the Oracle campus in Nashville courtesy of Mayor John Cooper's office.

Community activists push back on Oracle deal

By: - April 27, 2021

Community organizers are asking Metro Nashville to postpone an agreement with the technology giant Oracle, saying there are too many questions about how the company’s relocation here will affect local residents already suffering from rising living costs.   Stand Up Nashville and The Equity Alliance held a rally Monday to protest what they see as a […]

Shelby County Sherriff's Department badge. (Photo: SCSD Facebook)

Memphis commissioner questions jail “virtual visit” charges

By: - April 26, 2021

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 […]

Members of the Franklin Justice & Equity Coalition at a 2020 event. (Photo: FJEC Facebook)

Franklin group to mark Juneteenth with first-time public ceremony

By: - April 23, 2021

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 Commission

Shelby County adds mental health training for firefighters

By: - April 22, 2021

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 […]

A 2018 photo from a TIRRC demonstration. (Photo: Jon Dragonette/TIRRC Facebook)

TIRRC pushes Congress to create easier path to citizenship

By: - April 21, 2021

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 […]

Metro Nashville Police Chief Diversity Officer Capt. Carlos Lara reads to students at Stratford Elementary School on March 24. (Photo: MNPD)

Nashville Police diversity chief discusses outreach efforts

By: - April 16, 2021

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 […]