News
Hispanic leaders develop resources to help businesses
Hispanic businesses are the backbone of society, and more needs to be done to protect them in times of crisis, said Hispanic leaders. On Tuesday night, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and two representatives from the Nashville-Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (NAHCC) held a roundtable discussion to talk about efforts to keep Hispanic businesses afloat […]
Analysis: How Nashville can save its independent music venues
However the situation at Exit/In plays out, Nashville has received a fresh reminder about the precarious nature of its independent music venues. The city’s oldest rock club is under contract to be sold to a company that focuses on boutique hotels, but has vowed to preserve Exit/In. The sale of the building is not final […]
Governor proposes Titans tax break plus food sales tax holidays in $42.6B budget plan
Gov. Bill Lee’s budget plan enables the Tennessee Titans to start collecting $2 million in sales tax revenue through Metro Nashville to go toward Nissan Stadium upgrades, which are part of a broader redevelopment plan along the Cumberland River. The governor released his $42.6 budget and supplemental spending proposal today, including a $100 million two-week […]
Tennessee pauses J&J vaccine after recommendation from U.S. health officials
WASHINGTON — Top public health officials said Tuesday that they are recommending a pause in the use of a COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson “out of an abundance of caution” following six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot, and states and localities immediately began moving to suspend the vaccine’s use. Officials […]
School shooting at Knoxville high school leaves one dead
A student is dead and a Knoxville police officer is wounded following a shooting at Austin East Magnet High School for the Arts in Knoxville on Monday. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation into the incident, which occurred when Knoxville Police were summoned to Austin East for a report of an armed […]
Pretrial assessment formula reflects “structural racism”
A pretrial assessment algorithm incorporated into one of Gov. Bill Lee’s criminal justice bills is being questioned because it injects “structural racism and institutional inequity” into the court system, according to critics. House Bill 784 sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth requires judges and magistrates to use an evidence-based pretrial risk assessment to determine […]
Grassroots groups weigh in on Nashville Budget
The COVID-19 pandemic caused long-simmering socio-economic problems to surface for Nashvillians, and activists are asking Metro’s upcoming budget to reflect much needed infrastructure. On Friday, representatives from Workers Dignity, Black Nashville Assembly, Nashville People’s Budget Coalition and others offered grades on a wide variety of city services to show city officials what they want emphasized […]
Controversial New Markets tax credit program proposed in Tennessee
In 2017, two University of Tennessee economists were hired by Alabama’s Department of Revenue to evaluate a tax credit program underway in Alabama that was meant to support economic growth in low-income areas. Five years after Alabama’s “New Markets Development Program” was approved and after $234 million in state tax credits were awarded, the economists […]
Stockard on the Stump: Bible resolution sponsor incredulous with McNally
Rep. Jerry Sexton is questioning the motivation and maybe even the spirituality of Lt. Gov. Randy McNally in picking up his legislation to make the Bible Tennessee’s state book, a move that could kill the resolution if McNally decides to sit on it, which he appears ready to do. McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican, reiterated […]
AJ Capital vows to preserve Exit/In in first statement
AJ Capital Partners, the apparent purchaser of the Exit/In rock and roll club, broke its silence late Friday, vowing to preserve the music venue. The developer behind the luxury Graduate Hotel chain, AJ Capitol Partners said its plan was never to build a hotel where the 50-year-old venue is located. The company said in a […]
House leaders back unemployment cuts and say jobs abound
Saying Tennesseans need to get off the public dole and back to work, House Republican leaders are supporting legislation to cut the time frame for the state’s unemployment benefits in more than half. House Speaker Cameron Sexton endorsed a bill Thursday that would reduce unemployment payments to 12 weeks from 26 weeks when the jobless […]
The Byhalia Pipeline: What you need to know
In Memphis, the Byhalia Pipeline has been controversial since it was proposed in 2019. Criticis say that it would cause an environmental disaster for some Shelby County residents. The joint venture operation between Texas-based Plains All American Pipeline and Valero Energy Corporation plans to build a 49-mile route between the Valero Memphis Refinery and the […]