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An estimated one in eight children in Tennessee will have been found to suffer abuse or neglect by the time they reach the age of 18. (Photo: Getty Images)

University of Tennessee report quantifies the staggering costs of child abuse

BY: - June 8, 2023

A new report attempts to tally the staggering economic costs of child abuse and neglect in Tennessee, where an estimated one in eight children will have been found to suffer abuse or neglect by the time they reach the age of 18. Child abuse costs the state between $3 and $5 billion each year, a […]

Alive Hospice in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Nashville’s Alive Hospice to remain nonprofit

BY: - June 6, 2023

Alive Hospice will remain a nonprofit, the Nashville hospice organization announced through its board of directors on Tuesday. Following is the announcement, sent in an email from its director of communications and marketing, Liz Haas:  “The Alive Board of Directors has determined that Alive will remain a not-for-profit, independent organization providing hospice, palliative care and […]

Gov. Bill Lee photographed on June 5, 2023, in Nashville as he touted his roads plan. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Governor hands drag show court case to attorney general

BY: - June 6, 2023

Gov. Bill Lee could be washing his hands of a law setting restrictions on drag shows even though he signed the measure just minutes after it passed the House earlier this year. Lee said Monday he won’t consult with the state attorney general about a judge’s decision to overturn Tennessee law prohibiting drag performances in […]

Margi Quin, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services, photographed on June 2, 2023. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Tennessee Department of Children’s Services holds weekend “surge” to address caseloads

BY: - June 5, 2023

Nearly three dozen child welfare workers from across the state crowded into a Nashville conference room on Friday, preparing for an intensive weekend ahead.  Their goal: visit up to 200 families who have been reported to the Department of Children’s Services on suspicions of child abuse or neglect, interview parents and kids, and bring to […]

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Second lawsuit seeks to block state law aimed at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway

BY: - June 1, 2023

A second lawsuit has been filed challenging a new state law that makes it easier to gain Metro Council approval for a new racetrack at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Signed into law on May 5 by Gov. Bill Lee, the GOP-backed measure lowers the threshold of votes needed to approve any changes to the city’s fairgrounds […]

Analysis: 3rd-grade reading scores by school districts in Tennessee

BY: - May 31, 2023

Third-grade reading scores by school district show a slight improvement for most Tennessee schools in 2023 compared to the average of recent years. Last week Tennessee released its statewide testing scores, showing 60% of third graders weren’t proficient at reading. This is common — never have more than half of all Tennessee third graders been […]

State set to extend CoreCivic contract despite prison deaths

BY: - May 31, 2023

Tennessee plans to extend a private prison company’s contract with an $8 million raise annually to run a state penitentiary in spite of lawsuits alleging it caused inmate deaths. The pay increase also could come in spite of $17.74 million in state fines levied against CoreCivic since September 2020 for operation shortcomings. The State Building […]

A group of young protesters outside the Tennessee House of Representatives during expulsion hearings for three Democratic lawmakers on April 6, 2023. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Tennessee Student Solidarity Network carries non-violent message of activism

BY: - May 30, 2023

School walkouts and student protests at the Tennessee Capitol following The Covenant School shooting in March and expulsion of two young lawmakers highlighted political organization efforts by Tennessee high school and college students.  Members of the Tennessee Student Solidarity Network say there’s no shortage of issues around which to organize. As the group grows beyond […]

(Photo: Memphis Police Department Facebook page)

Comptroller: Ex-director of publicly-funded Tennessee police chief group spent $60k on booze, meals

BY: - May 30, 2023

The former executive director of the publicly-funded Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police oversaw spending of more than $63,000 on food, alcohol, meals, gift cards and gas over a four-year period — credit card expenses questioned by the Tennessee Comptroller in a report that has been turned over to the Davidson County District Attorney’s office. […]

In the military, fertility policies and family building collide

BY: - May 29, 2023

If you’re a service member with a family, the military’s got your back. If you’re trying to start one, it can be another story. Active duty service members unable to conceive children naturally can face significant hurdles as the military health plan doesn’t cover reproductive assistance, such as in vitro fertilization, intrauterine insemination, a surrogate […]

COMMENTARY
The campus of Tennessee State University in Nashville, the state's largest historically Black university. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Stockard on the Stump: Critics call $2M TSU audit an attack on President Glover

BY: - May 26, 2023

Tennessee State University officials narrowly escaped the wrath of the Legislature this year after a rough comptroller’s audit. But lawmakers peeved at President Glenda Glover managed to put $2 million in the budget for yet another audit, this one a forensic investigation that could be used to file criminal charges. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Senate […]