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Waverly residents still struggle to recover from flooding as local unions help out
Following devastating flooding that killed 20 people in Waverly, TN, in late August, volunteers from local unions are helping fill in the gaps in rebuilding efforts. AP News reported that 17 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours on August 21, 2021, on the small town in Middle Tennessee and took out homes, […]
Union jobs, Ford plant deal hover Legislature’s special session
Tennessee lawmakers are hours away from considering $883 million worth of incentives to land a Ford electric truck and battery plant, and questions about unionization and deal making are clouding the debate. State Rep. Robin Smith, a Hamilton County Republican, sent a letter to Gov. Bill Lee late last week questioning the specifics of the […]
Exit/In afraid of Mercy Complex fate as funds alone can’t save it
At Exit/In, many things are the same as they ever were. The club is hosting shows again. The owner is the same — Chris Cobb. The rent costs the same, but now it gets mailed to Chicago, because one big difference is that Exit/In now has a new landlord, AJ Capital Partners. Cobb says the […]
‘This is injustice’: Dickerson Pike mobile home tenants fight eviction
Juana Cecilia has lived on Dickerson Pike for 17 years but faces losing her home after developers took an interest in her trailer park neighborhood. In June, she and 19 other families received eviction notices giving them less than two months to find a new home. They later learned that their neighborhood was being sold […]
Stockard on the Stump: UAW official has no doubt Ford plant will be union facility
In the last two weeks, numerous news stories have speculated on whether the Ford electric truck plant targeted for the Memphis Regional Megasite will be a union shop. It’s a big deal in a right to work state with anti-union sentiment among the controlling Republican Party. Tennessee’s three automakers are split, with Nissan and Volkswagen […]
Shakeup at Department of Education includes demotion of state’s top special education official
As Gov. Bill Lee battles lawsuits from parents of kids with disabilities — along with a federal civil rights investigation into whether his ban on universal masking in schools discriminates against kids at high risk for serious illness from COVID — the state’s top special education official has been demoted. Theresa Nicholls served as Assistant […]
After a school shooting, Shelby County weighs strengthening early childhood education
A week after a school shooting critically injured one student at a K-8 school, Shelby County officials on Wednesday debated directing more resources into early childhood education, with one resolution focused violence prevention measures. Members of the education committee of the Shelby County Commission recommended approval of a $500,000 contract with Porter-Leath, a historic Memphis […]
COVID-19 special session likely to start Oct. 27
A special session of the General Assembly to deal with COVID-19 issues could start Oct. 27 and run several days. House Republicans received a text message from leadership Wednesday saying the special session is “expected” to begin on that day. Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville also posted a tweet Wednesday saying the session on […]
Memphis Sand Aquifer, Memphis’ source of drinking water, at center of growing number of disputes
The Memphis Sand Aquifer, the primary source of drinking water for Shelby County residents, is the subject of a growing number of disputes. Memphis City Councilmembers on Tuesday clashed with Tennessee Valley Authority representatives over plans to relocate coal ash to a local landfill over fears it could contaminate the aquifer. The Southern Environmental Law […]
TWRA officials face pushback over plans to raze old-growth forests in White County
SPARTA, Tenn. — Officials with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency faced considerable pushback Monday night at a public meeting in Sparta over plans to raze old growth forest in a popular hunting and recreation area located about about halfway between Nashville and Knoxville. A standing room-only crowd of more than 200 people filled the town’s […]
House Republicans could hold Ford project hostage for COVID-19 session
Tennessee House Republicans seeking a special session on COVID-19 issues could try to put the state’s $5.8 billion deal for a Ford electric truck and battery campus on ice. House Speaker Cameron Sexton told WWTN-FM late last week some members of the House Republican Caucus would vote against funding for the Blue Oval City project […]
Abortion rights rally in Nashville draws hundreds
A rally by abortion rights advocates drew hundreds to the Tennessee Capitol on Saturday. The Rally for Abortion Justice was part of coordinated events in cities across the nation after a Texas law banning most abortions took effect. Photojournalist John Partipilo captured the event.