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Tennessee’s municipalities tackle redistricting
State legislators have until next year to finish redistricting the state, but the pressure is on local officials to quickly finish a process that will closely affect Tennessee residents on a day to day basis.. Here’s what the redistricting process looks like across the state. Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County There’s no question that Nashville’s […]
Lawsuits pile up against former funeral director
Lawsuits continue to pile up against four funeral homes and an ex-funeral director accused of failing to send the remains of deceased immigrants back to their families overseas for burial. On Monday, the family of Ramon Lara Castillo — a 63-year-old Nashville house painter who succumbed to liver cancer in October 2020 — filed a […]
Memphis gas station moratorium part of effort to solve food deserts
In some areas of Memphis, there are more gas stations than grocery stores. While a citywide moratorium placed a hold on new gas stations, businesses are still seeking permission from the Memphis City Council to open against the wishes of local communities. In March, the Memphis City Council voted in favor of halting permitting of […]
Shelby County preps for final redistricting vote
The Shelby County Commission held a special session on Wednesday to expedite approval on redistricting maps before the Nov. 8 deadline, and voted to adopt a redistricting plan of 13 members for 13 districts regardless of population shifts. Shelby County officials had only a few weeks to reshape Shelby County as the 2020 Census was […]
Transparency of redistricting questioned in Shelby County
Shelby County commissioners expressed their concerns over maps presented during a redistricting committee meeting on Monday. The 2020 U.S. Census data was released in August and gave officials statewide only a few weeks before Nov. 8 to submit redistricting maps. With that in mind, commissioners on the county’s redistricting ad hoc committee set out to discuss […]
Middle Tennessee groups prepare for Afghan refugee arrivals
Middle Tennessee refugee resettlement programs need all the help they can get to properly welcome Afghan refugees coming to Nashville At least 300 Afghan refugees will arrive at the Nashville International airport in the next few months and several nonprofit organizations—United Way of Greater Nashville, Catholic Charities of Tennessee, the Nashville International Center for Empowerment […]
Metro Nashville Health gains grant to train doulas
The Metro Nashville Public Health Department will soon be seeking recruits for a federally-funded program aimed at creating additional support for expectant mothers in low-income areas. On Tuesday, Metro Health announced they have received $125,000 from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to fund a project aimed at recruiting and training doulas to […]
Dixie: Special legislative session should assess West Tennessee infrastructure
Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, spoke with a civil-rights group Monday morning about what to expect at Gov. Bill Lee’s special session discussing the Ford Motor Company manufacturing campus headed to West Tennessee. The Urban League of Middle Tennessee, a non-partisan civil-rights group, asked Dixie, D-Nashville, about his goals to use the deal in an effort […]
Memphis civilian law enforcement group upholds police punishment
A Memphis resident testified before city officials about the strange circumstances surrounding a police visit to her home. Members of the Memphis Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) meet on a monthly basis to make judgements on alleged cases of police brutality, and on Thursday, they received the case of Anita Hill and the events […]
Civil rights groups work to prevent further gerrymandering
As Tennessee lawmakers prepare to redraw districts, civil rights organizations are working to prevent further gerrymandering ahead of statewide elections. The Tennessee Legislature and municipal officials are currently redrawing congressional and state district maps based on data from the 2020 U.S. Census, which was released in August 2021, and are set to complete their work […]
Two festival seasons in, pandemic taxes planners and vendors
Life has been rough the past 18 months for Tennesseans who make their living through the state’s tourism and festival industry. Ruth Rico has made a name for herself selling Colombian cuisine from her food truck Delicias Colombianas throughout Nashville’s festival season, normally lasting from spring to fall. But over the last year and a […]
‘This is injustice’: Dickerson Pike mobile home tenants fight eviction
Juana Cecilia has lived on Dickerson Pike for 17 years but faces losing her home after developers took an interest in her trailer park neighborhood. In June, she and 19 other families received eviction notices giving them less than two months to find a new home. They later learned that their neighborhood was being sold […]