News
Trump’s reversal on international students negates need for preparations
The Trump administration reversed their proposal on Tuesday to ban international students from U.S colleges if campuses transitioned to online-only classes, but local universities have already put in place policies to protect their international students. Luca Joens is one of a few international students that chose to remain on campus at Cumberland University in Lebanon […]
Vanderbilt Child Health Policy poll: One third of Tennessee kids with mental health conditions
The Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy released today an analysis today of a poll focused on child mental health. Researchers polled 1,100 Tennessee parents before the pandemic began and found respondents reported roughly 30% of children between the ages of six and 17 have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, such as ADHD, […]
Column: Fact-Checking Tennessee Congressmen
As the election heats up, we should remember three good fact-checking sites: factcheck.org, politifact.com, and snopes.com. Fact Check is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Pulitzer-Prize-winning Politifact started in 2007 with a Florida newspaper and now is operated by the Poynter Institute. Snopes began in 1994 by investigating urban legends, hoaxes, and folklore; […]
Outside urban areas, officials reluctant to pass mask mandates
When Gov. Bill Lee gave county mayors the authority to issue mask mandates in the midst of a rising number of statewide COVID19 cases, the response from both the public and the mayors themselves was an assortment of immediate implementations, shrugs, and outright dismissals. In areas outside of the larger cities in Tennessee, a seemingly […]
State Rep. Parkinson urges Metro Council not to appoint John Little to school board
State Rep. Antonio Parkinson really doesn’t want Metro Council to appoint political organizer John Little to the Nashville school board. Parkinson, D-Memphis, waded into the messy world of education reform politics with a letter to council members on Monday urging them to pass on Little for the appointment of a replacement to board member Anna […]
COVID-19 in daycare: Little oversight provided by state
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 […]
From the 901: Beale Street Blues
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 […]
Attorney asks state parole board for leniency with non-violent offenders and cites COVID-19
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 […]
Foster care organization for LGBTQ youth launches
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 […]
Challengers at final Nashville schools forum focus on incumbent
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 […]
Metro Health board agrees to create technology to share COVID-19 data with first responders in ‘limited way’
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 […]
Nashville schools to do virtual learning until at least Labor Day
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 […]