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Effort to recall Mayor Cooper fizzles out
The effort to recall Nashville Mayor John Cooper over his support for the property tax increase and his pandemic response has failed. An organizer of the effort to recall Cooper told supporters the cause is “dead and over” late Tuesday night. It’s the second time in 2020 that a signature drive has gone nowhere. Volunteers […]
Memphis races feature hot contests
The presidential race and U.S. Senate races traditionally earn the most analysis and coverage, but all state representatives are up for reelection in Tennessee and half of the General Assembly’s state senators. Shelby County features several hotly contested state house races. The most notable is the one between Democrat Torrey Harris and incumbent Rep. John […]
Nashville clerk Howard Gentry’s office helps hundreds restore voting rights
Against the backdrop of Tennessee ranking among the worst states in the country for restoring the voting rights of felons, Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry’s office has quietly been working behind the scenes to cut the red tape and simplify the complicated bureaucratic process. Instead of making a person navigate the necessary approval […]
First time immigrant voters take pride in making their voices heard
On a rainy Saturday morning, when others slept warm and dry at home, dozens of people stood drenched and cold outside Casa Azafran waiting for their turn to vote. Although very few brought umbrellas, they held their resilience against the rain on their shoulders to participate in this civic duty. For the 2020 presidential elections, […]
Davidson County legislative races feature one competitive seat
Part Two of the Tennessee Lookout’s series analyzing third quarter fundraising disclosures for Tennessee General Assembly candidates focuses on Davidson County state house and senate races. With one exception, Sen. Steve Dickerson in District 20, all of Nashville and Davidson County’s representatives are Democratic and most are running without opposition. Dickerson is also in the […]
Nashville Councilwoman Zulfat Suara rallies support to #EndSARS in native Nigeria
Metro Councilwoman Zulfat Suara ran for office last year with a platform focusing on the wonkiest of issues: city finances, schools funding, taxing policy. Issues like that are in Suara’s wheelhouse since most of her professional career has been spent in the field of accounting and her day job is working as an administrator for […]
COVID-19 case load becomes critical in Northeast Tennessee
In a 21 county region encompassing northeast Tennessee and parts of Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky, officials at one hospital chain say they are on the verge of exceeding their capacity to care for coronavirus and other patients. Ballad Health provides the vast majority of hospital care in the region known as the Appalachian Highlands […]
Immigrant communities suffer as funeral traditions upended in pandemic
For many members of the immigrant community, sending the body of a loved one back to their native land is an important part of life in the U.S., but the pandemic has complicated an already complex procedure. COVID-19 has been affecting mortuary shipping services, and most international flights to and from the U.S. have been […]
Nashville charter referendum takes aim at soccer stadium project
Lost in the conversation about how the proposed Metro charter referendum would lead to massive mid-year budget cuts and overhaul how property tax increases are approved is the impact the ballot measure could have on the fairgrounds soccer project. There are five proposals included in the referendum. One would repeal the 34% property tax increase […]
Commentary: When will the Tennessee Walking Horse be Unchained?
Last month the 82nd annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration ended in Shelbyville. It’s an event that’s been brewing with controversy for more than half a century because of soring, where trainers inflict pain to horses’ front feet and legs to produce and artificial exaggeration of the natural gait, the “Big Lick.” Before trainers began […]
Nashville Rescue Mission women’s shelter closed amid COVID-19 outbreak
The Nashville Rescue Mission’s women’s campus is now closed to new admissions after scores of residents and at least six staff members tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Metro Public Health Department and a Rescue Mission spokeswoman. An additional 40 people connected to the campus have tested positive for coronavirus since 16 initial cases […]
Former extremists get opportunities for a fresh start through tattoo removal programs
There are always people trying to leave hate groups in hopes of living a better life after a destructive past. The process of exiting brings all sorts of complications as people come to terms with the magnitude of their hate-filled beliefs and make the choice to leave behind the friends and the groups that have […]