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Former state lawmaker Sheila Butt sued for defamation
(Story updated June 24 with comment from Butt added.) Former Republican state representative Sheila Butt, now a candidate for Maury County mayor, has been sued for defamation of character by another mayoral candidate. David Baker, a minister and former volunteer chaplain at the Maury County Jail, filed suit in Maury County Circuit Court on Wednesday, […]
Editor’s column: Sen. Rick Scott is Trump 2.0
If you think former President Donald Trump was bad for America, let me tell you about Rick Scott. Scott is the first term U.S. senator from Florida and former two-term governor. He was in Nashville Friday to speak at the Faith and Freedom “Road to Majority” event that also featured Trump as its keynote speaker […]
Editor’s column: The insurrectionist’s dictionary
Those of you who were among the 20 million Americans to tune into Thursday night’s opening hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol and those of you who plan to continue watching will likely become familiar with a number of terms. And if you read newspapers […]
Tennessee Supreme Court ends Starbuck’s congressional bid
The Tennessee Supreme Court overturned a June 3 ruling by Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins, ending a bid by video producer Robby Starbuck to run for the Republican nomination to Congress in the state’s 5th District. On April 19, the Tennessee Republican Party Executive Committee voted to remove Starbuck, Donald Trump-backed Morgan Ortagus and businessman […]
Tennessee Republican Party upholds Williamson County primary results
The Tennessee Republican Party Executive Committee voted to uphold election results in two Williamson County races on Thursday during a 90-minute meeting−the second day of a two-day discussion of the challenges—with committee members again expressing their desire for closed primaries. Christopher Richards, a candidate for Williamson County Commission District 7 challenged the outcome of his […]
Editor’s column: Go west, Democrats.
For more than a decade, Tennessee Democrats have lamented the lack of a “bench” — that is, elected officials at the city and county level who can develop into respectable candidates for U.S. Congress and governor, much as Triple A ball clubs prep talented players for the Show. The lack of a political bench means […]
Editor’s column: Is this what our veterans died for?
Memorial Day usually makes me a bit nostalgic, as I think about not only the men in my family who risked their lives in combat to protect America’s freedoms but about all the families who didn’t get to witness their loved ones return home. I get a little emotional as I look at the American […]
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris endorses Smiley for governor
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris announced his endorsement of gubernatorial candidate J.B. Smiley Wednesday, a day before the first of three debates sponsored by the Tennessee Democratic Party. “Councilman Smiley understands the issues that matter to working women and men and the challenges that face our neighborhoods. Tennessee needs a Governor who will focus on […]
Editor’s column: Two years of the Tennessee Lookout
In May 2020, America was still coming to grips with the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting partisan and political hysteria around it. The country was six months away from the most polarizing presidential election in memory for most of us. And the Tennessee Lookout launched. The day in March I woke up to start work […]
Tennessee Attorney General Slatery won’t seek a second term
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery will not seek a second term when his current one ends. The news, first reported by the Tennessee Journal, broke Tuesday after Slatery informed the Tennessee Supreme Court in a letter. Slatery’s eight-year term has been marked by his office’s involvement in political issues, notably the joining of an amicus brief […]
Editor’s column: Normalize abortion conversations
Like many women across the U.S., I’ve been reeling from the news that broke last week about the U.S. Supreme Court’s draft decision that would reverse Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1971 ruling that legalized abortion at the federal level. As soon as I tweeted, “Looks like the Supreme Court has given me my next […]
Editor’s column: After 100 years, a look at a father’s life
My dad would have been 100 on Sunday. He died 25 years ago, shortly after his 75th birthday, and I find it hard to wrap my mind around both facts, but he lives in my mind as he did when I last saw him, freshly shaved and looking younger than he had a right to […]