Politics
Memphis megasite to land $5.6B Ford plant
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Monday that Ford Motor Co. has selected the Memphis Regional Megasite for one of the largest battery and vehicle manufacturing campuses in the nation, a $5.6 billion investment creating 5,800 jobs. “West Tennessee is primed to deliver the workforce and quality of life needed to create the next great American […]
Shelby Count calls for DOJ oversight of juvenile courts
On Monday, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution urging the U.S. Department of Justice to oversee the county’s juvenile detention centers after reports of racial disparities. According to the Memphis Shelby County Crime Commission, violent crime rates overall have risen by 12.1% in comparison to previous years. Violent juvenile charges have decreased […]
Case against Sen. Katrina Robinson hits snag
In Memphis Thursday, federal Judge Sheryl Lipman debated with prosecutors the merits of the federal government’s fraud case against state Sen. Katrina Robinson. Lipman dismissed the jury immediately after prosecutors rested their case. Robinson’s attorneys asked the judge to dismiss all charges, citing lack of evidence and fundamental flaws in the prosecution’s financial analysis. The […]
Governor discounts effect of constitutional carry law on Collierville Kroger shooting
A day after a disgruntled employee opened fire in a Collierville Kroger, killing one woman and injuring 14 others, Gov. Bill Lee said he believes there is no connection between the shooting and a constitutional carry law he signed this year. Lee called the incident a “terrible shooting” and tragedy, while expressing sorrow for victims […]
Stockard on the Stump: Schwinn denies piloting materials in book adoption, but LIFT did
Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn told lawmakers this week the state didn’t pilot any materials during the English Language Arts adoption two years ago, nor is it in the upcoming math adoption process. She made the statement just two weeks after state textbook commission members made it clear the 18-month book and material selection lies […]
Week two of Robinson trial in Memphis: Prosecutors call former THI employees
Trial continued in Memphis this week for state Sen.Katrina Robinson who is facing federal charges of embezzlement and fraud. The charges allege that she intentionally appropriated federal grant funds meant for her business, The Health Institute, which provides postsecondary education in nursing. The week’s testimony has focused on discrepancies in annual reports made by The […]
Shelby County committee recommends DOJ oversight of juvenile courts
The Shelby County Law Enforcement, Corrections and Courts Committee voted to recommend the U.S. Department of Justice resume oversight of the county’s juvenile court system after concerns that current policies have failed to address racial disparities. On Wednesday the Countywide Juvenile Justice Consortium (CJJC), a citizen-led board created to hold the juvenile justice system accountable, […]
Editor’s column: Slatery’s tenure as AG shows mixed legal bag
A week or so ago, a tweet about Tennessee government caught my eye: “We don’t legislate by law, we legislate by lawsuit,” wrote someone in response to another story about Gov. Bill Lee’s legal woes. I don’t remember which one of the Lee administration’s suits to which the Twitter wag referred, and that’s the problem: […]
Tennessee sees student improvement from summer programs
Tennessee students who took part in summer camps improved in English and math, regaining some of their pandemic learning loss, after the Legislature pumped $160 million into new programs, according to new data the state released Wednesday. Test scores from 120,000 students who participated in the classes showed an improvement of 5.97 percentage points overall […]
State saving monoclonal antibodies for the unvaccinated
Apparently reacting to cutbacks from the federal government, Tennessee is recommending monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 be used for the unvaccinated as the state ranks at the bottom nationally for vaccination rates. As reported Tuesday by The Tennessean, the Department of Health issued a statement saying, “Our recommendation to monoclonal antibody providers or individual facilities […]
House Education panels won’t hear Hakeem’s Black history bill
A joint meeting of House Education committees isn’t likely to consider Rep. Yusuf Hakeem’s Black history education bill this week even though he was told it would be made “perfect” in summer study. The Chattanooga Democrat sought to increase Black history curriculum in grades 5-8 earlier this year, but the House Education Instruction Committee voted […]
Governor signs letter to Biden requesting border ‘crisis’ discussion
Gov. Bill Lee joined 25 Republican governors Monday in sending a letter to President Joe Biden seeking a meeting to resolve the “crisis” at the Southern border where tens of thousands of Haitians and people of other nations are gathered to enter the United States. “As we surpass the eight-month mark of a relentless and […]