News
Support your local cheesemaker
Restaurants are making a slow comeback and grocery store shelves are beginning to fill again, albeit slowly. But there are industries that continue to suffer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, among them: locally made cheese. “It’s been challenging during the pandemic for farms that produce cheese products to move large quantities through grocery and restaurant […]
Nashville leaders urge minority census participation
In a Thursday press conference organized by Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH) Davidson County community leaders emphasized the need for census participation from Nashville’s minority population. The census deadline, originally July 31, has been pushed back to Oct. 31. The typical door-to-door approach is too risky, given the COVID-19 threat, but leaders hope […]
Finance director accuses Hospital Authority of hiding $9.4M in federal funding
The Hospital Authority failed to disclose $9.4 million in federal CARES Act funding to Mayor John Cooper’s administration in fear that its operating subsidy could be reduced, according to documents obtained by the Tennessee Lookout. Finance Director Kevin Crumbo, one of Cooper’s top aides, blasted the Hospital Authority for not keeping the administration in the […]
Ruling on ‘heartbeat bill’ will come after Lee signs
A federal judge in Nashville on Wednesday said he will wait to rule on a request by Tennessee’s abortion providers to temporarily halt a new ‘heartbeat’ abortion measure until it is signed by Gov. Bill Lee. The measure, approved by state lawmakers last week, bans most abortions after the point a fetal heartbeat is detected, […]
Latino-serving organizations to Lee: We need a robust plan
A coalition of Latino-serving organizations from across Tennessee is urging Gov. Bill Lee and local government leaders to take specific and immediate steps to address the increasing spread of COVID-19 among the state’s Hispanic residents. In an open letter to Gov. Lee, 18 groups, among them the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee […]
Breaking: Education reform operative and teachers union leader nominated for vacant school board seat
Education reform operative John Little and teachers union board member Erick Huth are among the five nominees to fill the vacant Metro Nashville Public Schools board seat following the death of board chairwoman Anna Shepherd earlier this month. Little has worked as a consultant and organizer for a number of groups that support education reform […]
Tennessee: The faces of DACA
Last week the Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration and upheld Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), but program recipients still face many barriers in Tennessee. Katherine Diaz Garcia, 21, was seven years old when she first came to the U.S. from El Salvador and still remembers her home country and the violence her […]
Murfreesboro EMT who helped with NYC pandemic response sues for lost wages
An emergency medical technician from Murfreesboro has sued the New York-based company that hired him to drive an ambulance during the city’s pandemic response for lost wages. James Richard was hired by Ambulnz, which according to the lawsuit is a subcontractor hired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Metro Nashville Schools: Laptops won’t be ready for all students when school starts
Laptops purchased with federal pandemic recovery funds won’t be available for all Metro Nashville Public Schools students when classes resume in August, according to a district spokesman. Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced earlier this month plans to spend approximately $24 million in federal CARES Act funds to buy laptops for all MNPS students and internet […]
Abortion clinics file for restraining order in federal court
In new filings in federal court on Monday, eight Tennessee abortion clinics challenging a heartbeat abortion ban outlined the consequences on patients and asked for an immediate temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction to prevent the measure from ever taking effect. The measure, one of the most restrictive abortion policies in the nation, was approved […]
Tennessean fires sales staffer, donates money to Muslim advocacy group
The Tennessean fired a low level sales staffer, donated funds to a local Muslim advocacy group and lined up sensitivity training in response to backlash from a print advertisement that predicted “Islam” would detonate a nuclear bomb in Nashville next month. The ad generated tremendous media attention with outlets across the world covering its strange […]
Medical science reviews cannabis as a potential treatment for coronavirus.
As early as April 2020, studies into the use of cannabis terpene for coronavirus treatment launched. Studies have been global, with one being conducted by the Israel Institute of Technology. With the legislature out of session for the year and an election pending, the jury is out on whether this research will impact Tennessee. The […]