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Lamar and Tennessee women’s groups work to improve Black maternal health outcomes
By 2019, Rep. London Lamar had seen a cousin die as a result of complications during childbirth. She had advocated on behalf of better supports for women during pregnancy. And she had suffered her own devastating late-term pregnancy loss. Lamar, a Memphis Democrat who is Black, cited those experiences in introducing a resolution recognizing the […]
Teens talk political polarization
Allie Bailey, called her home in Scott County on the Cumberland Plateau the “reddest part of the state” and said kids there are raised to be rooted in honoring their parents, community and the Bible. One of her high school classmates, Amelia Terry, added the many residents of the area don’t handle change well. Bailey […]
Street racing to NASCAR’s renewal: Middle Tennessee enthusiasm for auto sports gets rejuvenated
As a Vanderbilt University student studying economics, Jacob Yousief, 21, had very little time for other activities until a fateful 2019 car crash that ended up totaling his Toyota Corolla. While trying to figure out insurance hassles, Yousief’s buddy enticed him into a risky proposition: get an exotic car for cheap at an auction, he […]
Nashville leaders and organizers call for changes to construction safety
Workers-rights advocates will file a bill to hold contractors accountable for incidents that have resulted in Nashville being named one of the most dangerous cities in the South for construction workers. On Tuesday, several Metro council members and community leaders held a press conference to address allegations of unsafe and unhygienic construction sites that have […]
Nashville’s Freedom Riders: HBCU students risked all to end segregation
On Feb. 27, 1960, John Lewis, then a student at American Baptist College, joined other college students in Nashville as they sat down at the “whites only’’ lunch counter at Woolworth’s in the heart of downtown to begin their work integrating the city’s stores. Students at HBCUs, including Tennessee State University, Fisk University, Meharry Medical […]
El Estado de Tennessee investigará nuevas acusaciones contra un director de funerarias que continúa explotando a la familias inmigrantes
Director de funerales y embalsamador de Tennessee entrega sus licencias a principios de 2020 después de no haber devuelto los cuerpos a México, Honduras y Guatemala para su respectivo funerales, aun así siguió ofreciendo servicios funerarios a comunidades de inmigrantes y a descuidado nuevamente, en al menos un caso reciente, la entregar de los restos […]
State to investigate new allegations that Tennessee funeral director continues to exploit grieving immigrant families
A Tennessee funeral director and embalmer who surrendered his licenses early in 2020 after he failed to return bodies to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala for burials has continued to offer funeral services in immigrant communities — and, in at least one recent instance, neglected for months to deliver remains to a grieving family. Roommates and […]
Interstate section renamed for slain corrections officer
A section of Interstate 440 near Nashville has been renamed for a corrections officer killed in the line of duty. On Sunday, state Sen. Brenda Gilmore organized a car parade in honor of Debra K. Johnson on I-440, which will now be known as Debra K. Johnson Memorial Parkway. Friends and community members were invited […]
Nashville police say car thefts tied to warming vehicles
Police said Thursday an overwhelming majority of vehicles stolen in Davidson County recently have been from residential areas and likely a casualty of the winter storm. Over the past week, 79% of vehicles taken were cars with keys left inside and unattended, making them easy targets. Of the 47 vehicles stolen, 12 were left running […]
New court seeks to mediate evictions, keeping renters in homes and landlords paid
An innovative new court overseeing pending eviction cases provides a creative solution to both Nashville tenants and landlords seeking rent relief for one and lost earnings for the other. The national moratorium on evictions ends on March 31 and housing advocates have feared 1,800 pending eviction cases would cause a backlog when cases begin to […]
Belmont University activists wary of new president
Belmont University officials recently named Gregory Jones, Ph.D, its new president, but LGBTQ activists have expressed concerns about Jones’s previous inaction as an administrator regarding LGBTQ issues. Over the past year, Be Better Belmont (BBB), a coalition of Belmont students and alumni, has pushed students to be more vocal about participation the selection of Belmont’s […]
A Tennessee funeral director made promises to immigrant families; he didn’t deliver
Ramy Jadiel Ajualip Primero, the baby in his family, died unexpectedly at just 18 months old. He was rushed to the hospital after experiencing convulsions. A grim prognosis ensued. With no hope for recovery, the boy was taken off life support 15 days later. In shock, Ramy’s parents were certain of one thing: they wanted […]