Uncategorized
COVID-19 liability legislation moves forward
The Tennessee legislature reconvened today to fast-track Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed legislation to exempt public and private companies and institutions from legal liability related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In separate committee hearings on Tuesday, during a specially called session expected to wrap up in less than a week, Democratic lawmakers argued unsuccessfully against the measure. […]
Carpool app adapted to aid with contact tracing
An innovative app that both improves traffic conditions and helps with contact tracing has been on the back burner for a year waiting on the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) for approval. Approved a year ago, Hytch Rewards has been waiting on federal funding in order to be fully implemented. The app was approved to […]
Metro health board approves revised plan to share limited COVID patient data with first responders
A temporary plan approved by the Metro Board of Health on Thursday will allow first responders to access information on individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 under highly proscribed circumstances. The Metro Public Health Department had previously shared patient names and addresses with law enforcement before the controversial data-sharing arrangement was halted in June. […]
Staff, children recovering after COVID outbreak at Nashville juvenile detention center
Eleven children and eight staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center in June. All have since recovered. The east Nashville facility is one of five juvenile detention centers around Tennessee that have had positive coronavirus cases among staff or youth, according to data obtained from the Department of Children’s […]
Report: 1,120 Tennessee businesses closed permanently due to pandemic
Between March 1 and July 10, 1,959 businesses in Tennessee have shut down in response to the pandemic — with 1,120 reporting their closures are permanent, according to data compiled by the business-rating site Yelp. In the Nashville-Franklin-Murfreesboro metro areas collectively saw at least 410 business close for good, Yelp reported. An additional 331 have […]
Living Treasures: The Craftsman and the Change Agent
Tennessee is full of them: Unique living treasures, men and women who give our state culture, character and color. Photojournalist John Partipilo has for years been contemplating a series of portraits called “Living Treasures” and brings it to fruition now. There’s no better time than a year of pandemic and social upheaval to look with […]
A snapshot of July’s rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Nashville by zip code
Densely populated neighborhoods in South Nashville, Madison and Nashville’s downtown core continue to see the largest number of COVID-19 positive cases, but case counts have sharply increased in other parts of the city as well as coronavirus cases continue to spike in the state’s capitol. Here is a snapshot of COVID-19 positive cases by zip […]
Tennessee Walking Horse legislation advances
Legislation to further boost the effort to protect Tennessee Walking horses took another step forward as Amendment 38, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-TN, won bipartisan support Friday in Congress as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021 Agriculture spending package. The amendment would yield $750,000 in funding for the USDA’s Office of Inspector […]
The New Normal, Part 6: Long lines to get free coronavirus tests
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered virtually every aspect of life and created a new normal for Nashville residents. To capture the ways life has changed, award-winning photographer John Partipilo spent several weeks in the community and the result is an eight-part series of photos. As cases of COVID-19 spiked in June, the number of residents […]
Why Metro’s deal with the Sounds is a major hurdle for MLB to Nashville
As a group of business people ramps up its efforts to bring Major League Baseball to Nashville, a major obstacle stands in the way in the form of Metro’s current stadium deal with the Triple A Nashville Sounds. The New York Times and USA Today published stories in recent weeks about former baseball executive Dave […]
Life in Church Street Park
Church Street Park, a pocket park on downtown Nashville’s Church Street, has long been a gathering spot for the area’s homeless. It’s across the street from Nashville Public Library, where homeless individuals can access bathrooms and computers and easily accessible by bus for those who have fare money. Recently, the park seems more crowded than […]
Diocese of Nashville settles with victim who alleges 2017 sexual assault by campus priest
A former female student at Aquinas College in Nashville entered into a confidential settlement for $65,000 with the Catholic Diocese of Nashville in May over allegations a priest sexually assaulted her in his off-campus rectory in 2017. The settlement was first reported Saturday by the Catholic Herald, a London-based publication. The woman, who was not […]