News
Groups call for extension of tenant relief measures
Middle Tennessee Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and its offshoot Red Door Collective (RDC) called on elected officials to extend current economic relief to Nashvillians through temporary suspensions of evictions and utility shutoffs. Metro Nashville Councilmember Sean Parker (District 5), a DSA member, plans to introduce resolutions to address the issues. “It’s absolutely critical that […]
BCBS posts drop in numbers of insured
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee saw a drop of of 15,743 in commercially-insured members in April, according to data provided by the state’s largest insurer. The loss of coverage for individuals formerly covered through employer-sponsored insurers represents a fraction of the insurer’s 1.5 million customers. But the data is too early to capture the full extent […]
Youth sent out of state by DCS return with COVID
The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services sent five teenage boys out of state to a Kalamazoo, Mich. facility for troubled youth. Three of the boys came back to Tennessee positive for COVID-19. The boys, ranging in age from 13 to 18, are among 52 children currently in DCS custody who have tested positive for the […]
Judge Kelvin Jones’ divorce raises questions of invasion of privacy, mysterious deposits
Nashville Judge Kelvin Jones accessed his wife’s work email in order to read attorney-client communications, secretly recorded her with a hidden camera and made large cash bank deposits last year, according to a series of filings by his wife in their divorce lawsuit. Jones, who was elected to the Circuit Court in 2014, is in […]
Lawsuit alleges Belmont-Watkins merger violates public trust
The merger between Belmont University and Watkins College of Art remains contentious as an ongoing lawsuit raises questions about the foundations of the deal. The lawsuit boils down to a dispute on whether procedure was followed in order to dissolve a trust left by the original founder, Samuel Watkins. Attorney Kevin Teets, who represents the plaintiff, […]
Southern Christian Coalition calls on Lee to expand Medicaid
Gov. Bill Lee is putting vulnerable Tennesseans at risk by reopening the economy too soon and failing to accept federal funds for Medicaid expansion, members of the Southern Christian Coalition said Thursday. During a Thursday press conference, three pastors from across Tennessee called on Gov. Lee to expand Medicaid in Tennessee and to address the […]
Child care closures make back to work plans tough for parents
Kingsport, Tenn. business owner Bob Feathers operates two entirely separate ventures — a 20-year-old commercial interiors firm with 38 salaried employees and a franchise restaurant with 70 mostly part-time workers who rely on tips to get by. Feathers’ biggest operational question right now cuts across both business models: How do you get employees back at […]
Nashville COVID chief says ‘data and science matter’
A Monday story from NBC that reported Nashville is experiencing a high spike in COVID-19 cases counted data from a Trousdale County prison outbreak took local criticism. Written by political reporter Jonathan Allen and reporters Phil McCausland and Cyrus Farivar, the story cited a May 7 report by the White House pandemic task force. Dr. […]
Will Congress send aid to ailing local news outlets?
WASHINGTON — Politicians are banding together to try to rescue local news media from economic collapse during the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that Democratic leaders in Congress are pushing to fix a small business lending program so that it applies to local news publishers and broadcasters affiliated with larger […]
Poor People’s Campaign launches stay-at-home campaign
The Poor People’s Campaign, which has a Tennessee chapter, today launched a nonviolent protest to promote the plight of essential and low-income workers as states begin reopening the economy. Today’s virtual media conference was led by the Rev. William Barber II and featured workers speaking of having inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE.) A Dallas retail […]
Gov. Lee: TN should focus CARES funds on unemployment insurance, helping businesses
Gov. Bill Lee laid out his priorities on Tuesday for how Tennessee should spend $2.4 billion in federal CARES Act stimulus funds, advocating for investment in the state’s unemployment insurance program and aid to businesses that lost money because of his stay-at-home order in April. Tennessee, like all states, has been navigating how to spend […]
Fauci: UT students shouldn’t expect COVID-19 vaccine before fall term
WASHINGTON — Students preparing to head to the University of Tennessee this fall shouldn’t expect to get a COVID-19 vaccine before then, a top public health official told Congress on Tuesday. Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the U.S. Senate committee that oversees health and education, asked top Trump administration health officials at a […]