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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 […]
Nashville sets up pop-up clinics to create vaccine equity
Like many Nashvillians, Elizabeth Almarez, 27, was eager for life to get back to normal, so she went to Casa Azafran for her first COVID-19 vaccine shot. Despite not having had vaccinations since she was a child, she wanted to reassure fellow members of the immigrant community that the COVID-19 one didn’t hurt and wanted […]
Affordable housing needs in Franklin complicated by potential moratorium on apartments
Once a sleepy farm town south of the Tennessee capital, Franklin has long since become known not only for its exquisitely renovated historic homes and charming Main Street, but for boasting high-priced real estate in the state’s most affluent county. So it wasn’t surprising when a recent public discussion about placing a moratorium on construction […]
Tennessee officials warn funeral businesses about unlicensed director
Tennessee officials have issued a warning to funeral businesses about working with an unlicensed, ex-funeral director after a series of scandals, including the negligent storage of bodies. Reid Van Ness surrendered his license as a funeral director and embalmer in March 2020 after state officials found that at least 10 bodies he was paid to […]
Shelby County Commission shoots down Byhalia land sale
In Memphis Monday, the Shelby County Commission shot down the sale of South Memphis two lots to the joint venture behind construction of the controversial Byhalia Pipeline. Shelby County acquired the two lots through delinquent taxes, and approval of the resolution would have allowed Texas-based Plains All American Pipeline and Valero Energy Corporation to purchase […]
NOAH calls out Metro Nashville Police for use of excessive force
This story has been updated. Members of a prominent Nashville community organization say that the Metro Nashville Police Department has continued to use excessive force and failed to comply with de-escalation tactics, leading to two recent shootings, one fatal. Nashville Organized For Action and Hope (NOAH) held a press conference on Thursday to protest what […]