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Commentary: Stumbles by both Tennessee House caucuses bode no good for Tennesseans
This week Tennessee General Assembly opened the 112th legislative session and it’s been notable for the messes in which both House of Representatives caucuses commenced the new year. The supermajority Republicans had a scandal in the making even before Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton gaveled in the session. On Jan. 8, just days before […]
Memphis’s Community Legal Center names Jerri Green interim executive director
Attorney and former candidate for Tennessee House of Representatives Jerri Green will serve as the Interim Executive Director of the Community Legal Center in Memphis, the organization announced Monday. In a written statement, the CLC said, “We are confident Jerri will provide strong leadership and continuity during this time of transition as the CLC searches […]
Editor’s column: Finding the gifts in a non-traditional holiday
As is the case for many people, the holidays are less about Santa’s bag of toys than about a mixed bag of emotions for me. When I was a kid, I loved Christmas, and not just the fact I got presents. That in itself was no small thing, for Christmas and birthdays were the only […]
Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Piercey urges Tennesseans to forego even home gatherings
Officials from the Tennessee Department of Health unveiled data Sunday afternoon showing the rise in COVID-19 cases filling the state’s hospitals, and intensive care units in particular, and strongly urged Tennesseans’ to forego any social gatherings even in the home. “As you know, the latest numbers we’ve been dealing with are very dramatic and are […]
Editor’s column: Gov. Bill Lee does his best Ebenezer Scrooge impression
Nothing warms the heart at the holidays like viewings of Christmas fare like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and adaptations of the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol.” Each features a villain lacking in holiday spirit and empathy for his fellow man — or Who, in the Grinch’s case — but who comes to realize […]
Tennessee Democratic Party overhauls chair selection process
The Tennessee Democratic Party is overhauling its process for choosing a new party chair. For the first time, the TNDP Executive Committee has hired an outside human resources consultant to make the process more professional and akin to a hunt for the CEO of a statewide organization. Candidates typically send an announcement to the 66 […]
Editor’s column: Welcome to Tennessee! Now y’all go home.
In my Tennessee home town, every time there’s a move towards something progressive — removing the Confederate flag from the county seal, for instance, imposing a mask mandate or changing the name of a school mascot to something not offensive to a third of the school’s graduates — the comments on social media usually include […]
Editor’s column: Is that all there is?
Saturday, I drove to Knoxville to see my brother and his family, after not seeing them since January. We sat outside on his deck for a few hours talking about work, about COVID-19, mutual friends, books and politics. As I left, I found myself turning not towards the interstate ramp home but towards the University […]
East Tennessee doctors to Lee: “Get up there and lead.”
Two East Tennessee doctors said Wednesday most Tennesseans won’t be able to access a COVID-19 vaccine for a year and decried what they call a lack of leadership by Gov. Bill Lee. Dr. Deaver Shattuck, an internal medicine specialist in Blount County and Dr. Kevin James, a geriatrician who also practices in Blount County, talked […]
Community leader, political activist David McMurry dies Monday
David McMurry, a member of the Metropolitan Nashville Convention Center Authority and former candidate for Metro Council, was found dead in his condominium Monday. News of McMurry’s death spread rapidly via social media channels Monday night. Russ Bradford, council member for District 13, said Metro Police were called for a wellness check on McMurry when […]
Commentary: Tennessee Democrats need to take off the rose-colored glasses
Many Tennesseans, particularly Democrats, are rejoicing after Joe Biden clinched Pennsylvania’s electoral college votes Saturday, giving him the required 270 votes to win the presidency. President Donald Trump has brought a particular kind of misery to Americans who saw gains in immigration policy, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights and healthcare trimmed back or threatened. He horrified […]
The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat
A truism of politics is that there’s always a winner and always a loser. In the case of the 2020 presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden has emerged as president-elect, after clinching Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes Saturday morning. Sitting President Donald Trump has not conceded and shows no indication he is going to, with attorneys general […]