Commentary

Dr. Michelle Fiscus (Photo: John Partipilo)

Commentary: The curious case of Dr. Fiscus

BY: - July 16, 2021

We began the week in the soap opera that is Tennessee with the firing of the Tennessee Department of Health’s chief immunization director.  Dr. Michelle “Shelley” Fiscus, a pediatrician by training, was unceremoniously sacked on Monday after four years of service with the state. Fiscus said her termination letter gave no reason for her firing […]

Tennessee State Capitol (Photo: John Partipilo)

Stockard on the Stump: State spent millions on vaccine campaign that helped cost Fiscus her job

BY: - July 16, 2021

Tennessee spent $11.4 million on public service campaigns designed to battle COVID-19. The only thing it cost the state to fire its chief immunologist was a lot of embarrassment. Using coronavirus relief funds, the state paid Designsensory $8.9 million for messaging to encourage mask wearing and social distancing early in the pandemic. Once vaccines were […]

The State of Tennessee spent $11 million on messaging before firing Dr. Michelle Fiscus for spreading the message approved by Gov. Lee's office. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Fired immunization director never saw letter recommending termination

BY: - July 15, 2021

The Department of Health fired its director of the immunization program for several reasons, including failure to consult superiors on the state’s vaccine program, according to a letter placed in her personnel file. But Dr. Michelle Fiscus, who was terminated Monday, says she didn’t know about the letter written by Dr. Tim Jones on July […]

(Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Commentary: The For the People Act of 2021 and next steps

BY: - July 15, 2021

The For the People Act of 2021 addresses voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance, and ethics for the three branches of the federal government. It passed the House of Representatives as HR-1 and is before the Senate as S-1. The Act is divided into 3 parts: Voting, Campaign Finance, and Ethics. It details […]

Man at Nashville rally, June 4. (Photo: Alex Kent)

Commentary: Educators will continue to teach the truth of America’s racial history

BY: - July 12, 2021

As a West Tennessee public school teacher of 18 years, my life has taken on a rhythmic pattern – pedal to the floor, hair on fire for ten months and then two months of rest during the summer.  The same process year in and year out.  June and July have always afforded me a time […]

A pickup truck emblazoned with the Jack Daniel's Distillery logo parked in front of the Cordell Hull Legislative Office Building Wednesday. Inside the building, officials with company gave one-fith bottles of Jack to legislators. (Photo: Sam Stockard)

Stockard on the Stump: Jack in the bag sparks new look at gifts

BY: - July 9, 2021

Jack Daniel’s owner Brown-Forman didn’t violate any rules on gifts to lawmakers when it handed out bottles of sipping whiskey to lawmakers in February. But the gift bags are causing the Tennessee Ethics Commission to take a new look at the guidelines for giveaways. The Ethics Commission voted recently to have staff review a 2008 […]

Franklin High School (Photo: Williamson County Schools)

Commentary: In Williamson County, a public education PAC takes shape

BY: - July 8, 2021

In late 2014, a good friend texted me with something along the lines of, “Are you watching this School Board nonsense?” I think my response was, “Who watches the School Board?”  My oldest daughter was in 1st grade, and I was about as clueless as they come about anything beyond her immediate classrooms when it […]

Metro Public Healthy Molly Shine preps a vaccine while sisters Maya and Sara Gana wait at a Nashville mobile vaccine clinic in 2021. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Commentary: The vax of life

BY: - July 7, 2021

Bringing her vaxo-enthusiasm tour of the south to a Nashville distillery last month, Jill Biden told the assembled dozens that the COVID-19 vaccine “offers almost perfect protection,” plus “it’s just absolutely free so why not?” It’s a fair question, Madame First Spousal Unit, if you assume your intended audience of the unvaccinated can rationally evaluate […]

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 18: The U.S Capitol Building is prepared for the inaugural ceremonies for President-elect Joe Biden as American flags are placed in the ground on the National Mall on January 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. The approximately 191,500 U.S. flags will cover part of the National Mall and will represent the American people who are unable to travel to Washington, DC for the inauguration. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Commentary: Recapture the flag

BY: - July 4, 2021

When I was a kid, the American flag was a big deal in our house.  We had a heavy cloth flag that, unlike flags now, wasn’t just a design printed on flimsy fabric. The red and white stripes were sewn together and the stars individually stitched onto the blue background.  When it wasn’t hanging from […]

Attorney James Blumstein provides legal advice to the Davidson County Election Commission at its meeting on Monday, May 10 in Nashville. (Photo by John Partipilo.)

Nashville Power Poll: Power poll respondents strongly oppose tax reduction referendums

BY: - July 2, 2021

Nashville Power Poll members are overwhelmingly opposed to rolling back the city’s recent property tax hike. They also oppose amending the Metro Charter in a host of other areas, such as requiring elections if taxes are increased by more than 3%. Requiring such referendums would significantly weaken the mayor, and Metro Council, and turn us […]

(Getty Images)

Editor’s column: America has too little education on race, not too much

BY: - June 25, 2021

When I got out of college in 1987, I realized I was an educated idiot.  For the past five years, I’d crammed my head with a lot of facts and knew about the politics of Latin America and the Soviet Union, political theory going back to Plato and Aristotle, the plays of Shakespeare and bawdy […]

A historical marker for the Elliston Place "Rock Block" is positioned just outside the Exit/In. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Commentary: Nashville must prioritize protections for historically significant properties

BY: - June 22, 2021

The recent threat to Nashville’s iconic Exit/In may feel like Yogi Berra said, “déjà vu all over again.”  Except, it is different.  This one was both foreseen and preventable.   Time and time again in Nashville, we have seen the push for height and density in our urban core approved at the expense of irreplaceable iconic […]