News
Nashville live music industry on the brink of calamity; asks government for help
The Nashville live music industry has been eviscerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a ripple effect that has left musicians, stage hands, sound engineers and booking agents out of work and put concert venues on the brink of permanent closure. While the pandemic has negatively impacted all kinds of businesses, no sector has been steamrolled […]
Tennessee has little data on COVID-19 among agricultural migrant workers
Months after COVID-19 outbreaks affected several commercial farms, the Tennessee Department of Health offered to test migrant workers on a volunteer basis, but existing preventative measures are not enforced and no data exists on whether this measure was enough to encourage the protection of migrant workers. After several news reports about outbreaks in farms across […]
Commentary: As Governor fails to lead, media and parents must track COVID in schools
The COVID pandemic is like nothing any of us have experienced. As parents, we are tired, confused and scared. We are being forced to make decisions about our children’s education that pit a bad choice against a worse choice, and we grieve for our children who are being asked to sacrifice and accept a “new normal.” But […]
Metro Health’s role in vaccine trials prompts internal conflict
Among the Nashville institutions assuming a role in upcoming clinical trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine is the Metro Public Health Department, a decision receiving pushback from some members of its oversight board. The decision for the already overstretched department to partner with a private for-profit company in a vaccine trial has not received the […]
State asks judge to lift injunction on Tennessee’s heartbeat abortion law
Attorneys for the state are asking a federal judge to set aside a preliminary injunction barring a “heartbeat” abortion law from taking in effect. In a Friday legal filing, state attorneys notified U.S. District Judge William Campbell they plan to appeal his July 24 order temporarily halting Tennessee’ controversial abortion law from being enforced. They […]
How Nashville will play a critical role in developing the COVID-19 vaccine
In the national race to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, officially dubbed “Operation Warp Speed,” Nashville residents are at the starting gate. Two major Phase III vaccine trials are separately getting underway at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Meharry Medical College. A Nashville research firm is tentatively partnering with the Metro Health Department on two […]
Lawmakers begin review of sweeping emergency powers granted to governor
Since the onset of the pandemic in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee has drawn on sweeping emergency powers granted under state law to issue 44 executive orders, including stay-at-home orders, business closures and limits on nursing home visitors. On Thursday, state lawmakers met to consider whether those powers should be reigned in going forward. “Does (the […]
Nashville to offer hotel vouchers to immigrant families with COVID-19 cases
Clarification: Metro is still working on the details of distributing hotel vouchers and will base distributing on the need to provide someone a place to isolate, according to Metro Health Department spokesperson Brian Todd. A previous version of this story said the vouchers were currently being distributed. Hispanics continue to make up more than 19% […]
Supreme Court ruling allows TN voters with certain pre-existing conditions to vote by mail
The state of Tennessee has failed to comply with a Tennessee Supreme Court instruction to educate voters with pre-existing conditions making them vulnerable to COVID-19 of their right to vote by mail for the November election. The charge came in filings with the ongoing legal dispute over absentee voting rights during the deadly pandemic. The […]
Tennessee teachers feel ill-equipped for classroom teaching in COVID era
Although the school year began just a few weeks ago, teachers have many unanswered questions about keeping themselves and students safely while COVID-19 remains unchecked. Lauren Jordan, a teacher with the Franklin Special School District in Williamson County, feels safe, although only for the moment, she adds. So far Jordan had remotely taught her special […]
Historic Hermitage Hotel hosts 19th Amendment celebrations
By the time the 19th Amendment passed on August 18, 1920, efforts for women to gain the right to vote had been in progress for over 70 years. In 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention adopted a Declaration of Sentiments, which included a resolution urging women to get the right to vote. After a number of […]
With Harris keynoting DNC, Tennessee’s elected women of color react
The selection of Sen. Kamala Harris as vice-presidential running mate to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden last week has been lauded for its historic nature. Harris is the first woman of color to be named to one of the top positions on a presidential tickets and one of only a few women of any […]