News

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COVID-19 in daycare: Little oversight provided by state

BY: - July 14, 2020

At least 47 Tennessee daycares have reported positive cases of COVID-19 among staff or children, though the precise number is unknown due to vague regulatory oversight by the state. Six additional daycare centers identified possible cases and are waiting on test results as of Friday, when the data was provided to the Tennessee Lookout. Daycares […]

South Main Street in Memphis with few tourists out and about. (Photo: Karen Pulfer Focht)

From the 901: Beale Street Blues

BY: - July 14, 2020

Bar owners are having it tough across the state but some are giving as good as they get. In both Memphis and Nashville, bar owners have resorted to legal action after leaders for their respective cities have closed them or limited crowd size. Monday, 16 bar owners in Memphis sued the city, citing “significant economic […]

Tennessee Prison for Women. (Photo: tn.gov)

Attorney asks state parole board for leniency with non-violent offenders and cites COVID-19

BY: - July 14, 2020

Prominent criminal defense attorney David Raybin is asking Tennessee Board of Parole Chairman Richard Montgomery for parole conditions for female inmates to be reevaluated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In a letter,  Raybin asked the Board of Parole to reevaluate the conditions that female prisoners have to complete before their release. Specifically at issue is […]

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Foster care organization for LGBTQ youth launches

BY: - July 13, 2020

Just months after Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a new bill prohibiting gay couples from adopting, the state is getting a new foster care organization exclusively serving LGBTQ+ homeless youth. True You TN is in the beginning stages of opening, having just acquired their 501(c)3 and preparing to fundraise. The group, founded by Executive Director […]

Joelton Elementary School (MNPS website)

Challengers at final Nashville schools forum focus on incumbent

BY: - July 10, 2020

Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH) hosted the final virtual forum of four Thursday for Metro Nashville Schools Board candidates, and the District 1 event became contentious. District 1 has the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students, the highest percentage of students of color, the lowest literacy scores in MNPS and  average ACT score in […]

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Metro Health board agrees to create technology to share COVID-19 data with first responders in ‘limited way’

BY: - July 10, 2020

The Nashville Board of Health agreed on Thursday to contract with the Motorola telecommunications corporation to develop technology to share COVID-19 patient data with first responders when they are transporting potentially positive individuals to jails, hospitals or mental health facilities. The technology capable of sharing data on a limited basis will likely take months to […]

Stratton Elementary School (Photo: Metro Nashville Public Schools)

Nashville schools to do virtual learning until at least Labor Day

BY: - July 9, 2020

Metro Nashville Public Schools will begin with distance learning until at least Labor Day because of the spike in cases of COVID-19 in recent weeks. MNPS Director Adrienne Battle said the plan was to detail how both virtual school and in-person learning would look and allow families to pick the option best for them. But […]

Valor Flagship Academy Nashville (Photo: Valor Academy website)

Nashville charter schools take home millions in federal pandemic aid

BY: - July 9, 2020

Eight Nashville charter school organizations secured between $9.05 million and $22 million in federal paycheck protection program loans according to data released this week by the Small Business Administration. The PPP loans were created as a safety net for businesses that experienced interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The loans are forgivable if the recipient […]

A walkway at Hillwood High School in Nashville Schools District 9. (Photo: Metro Nashville Public Schools)

Nashville District 9 schools forum focuses on racial equity

BY: - July 8, 2020

Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH) hosted the third of four virtual forums Tuesday for school board candidates to address issues facing Metro Nashville Schools.  Russelle Ann Bradbury and Abigail Tylor are running to replace board vice chair Amy Frogge for school board representative in District 9. Bradbury has children that attend district schools […]

A couple holds signs for Vanessa Guillén across from the main entrance to Fort Campbell.(Photo: Celia Darrough)

Murder of soldier in Texas leads to Ft. Campbell demonstrations

BY: - July 8, 2020

Spc. Itzel Maynard stood on the median of Fort Campbell Boulevard in front of Gate 4, the main entrance to the base, holding a sign that said “Soy Vanessa Guillén. I Am Vanessa Guillén.” As a specialist in the Army, a Hispanic woman, and someone who never reported her sexual harassment within the military, she […]

Nashville Rescue Mission (Photo from website)

Despite offers of hotel rooms for homeless, city does not take action

BY: - July 7, 2020

In April, the director of sales and marketing for the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel read a story about the critical need for shelter for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic.  She thought the historic hotel near Metro Center could play a role.  “We are here and would love to help,” Christina Jones wrote in an […]

COVID-19 is spreading across Nashville. Here’s a zip code breakdown

BY: - July 7, 2020

Nashville Public Health officials on Tuesday released the latest heat map showing the concentration of COVID-19 cases by neighborhood with a warning from Mayor John Cooper. The virus, he said, has “now spread to other parts of the county, including our downtown core.” Southeast Nashville, including the zip codes 37013, 37221, continues to have the […]