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Editor’s Column: Bill Lee at the midterm
Just over two years ago, Bill Lee became governor of Tennessee. So at this midway point in his first term, it’s fair to review his inaugural promises and assess what’s been successful since his election and what has failed. To make a fair assessment, I watched his 15-minute inauguration speech from Jan. 19, 2019. In […]
Commentary: Giving gratitude for the lessons of Trump
On Wednesday, as I joined millions of other Americans who tuned in to watch the inauguration of President Joe Biden, I simultaneously scrolled my social media feeds. Many of my friends and acquaintances expressed feelings of joy and relief. Many said they shed tears of emotion. And more than a few had words for former […]
In historic vote, Hendrell Remus becomes first Black chair of Tennessee Democratic Party
The Tennessee Democratic Party took a historic step Saturday, voting to elect Hendrell Remus as the first Black chairman of the party. Remus won on a second ballot vote against longtime Democratic activist Wade Munday. Munday, who serves on the Democratic National Committee, has also worked at the TNDP as communications director and served as […]
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 […]