News
Analysis: Tennessee’s Fifth District race likely coming down to Harwell and Ogles
With negative ads flooding voters in the waning days of the 5th Congressional District Republican primary, it appears former House Speaker Beth Harwell and Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles are battling for the nomination, leaving retired Brig. Gen. Kurt Winstead in the rear. Never mind the fact that news reports showed Ogles failed to pay […]
Metro Council catches Legislature’s ire with vote rejecting Republican convention
Tennessee’s courtship of the Republican National Convention is over after the Metro Nashville Council rejected a move Tuesday to bring the 2024 event to town, a vote likely to elicit retribution from the Legislature. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally appeared especially irritated, putting the lion’s share of the blame on Mayor John Cooper – who negotiated […]
Tennessee Attorney General sues Walgreens over opioid exploitation
Walgreens’ pharmacies in Tennessee are accused in a lawsuit filed Wednesday of exploiting the opioid epidemic for profit, filling prescriptions written by healthcare providers the firm knew had been “raided, disciplined, arrested or indicted,” dispensed massive doses of the dangerous drugs to children as young as two-years-old and doled out more than 103,000 pills prescribed […]
Tennessee poll watchers see ‘democracy at work’
When voters show up at polls across the state tomorrow, they may see not only the familiar local election workers but also a growing number of newly credentialed poll watchers. Interest in becoming a poll watcher in Tennessee seems to be on the upswing, anecdotal information indicates. There are no statewide statistics on the appointment […]
Memphis-Shelby County School Board candidates face challenges to system
Memphis-Shelby County School Board races remain nonpartisan, unlike 59 other Tennessee counties, with four seats up for election. Board members will have several challenges to address: Students in Memphis, a majority-minority city, were some of the hardest hit by the pandemic economically and academically. School closures due to remote learning, COVID-case surges and teacher shortages led […]
U.S. Senate in turnaround backs aid for veterans exposed to burn pits
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed bipartisan legislation that would provide health care and benefits to millions of veterans exposed to toxic substances while deployed overseas, after many Republicans switched their votes and decided to once again back the legislation. The shift came after days of protest and vigils outside the U.S. Capitol, […]
Four members of U.S. Senate unveil bipartisan bill ensuring nationwide abortion rights
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators released legislation Monday that would codify Roe v. Wade, ensuring pregnant patients throughout the country once again have the right to an abortion. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said the measure, […]
Anti-federal spending candidate’s firm received $500,000 in pandemic funding
A Republican running for the House District 61 seat in Williamson County wants to invoke the 10th Amendment and rein in federal spending, yet his former law firm received nearly $500,000 through the Paycheck Protection Program. Brentwood attorney Gino Bulso, who is squaring off against Bob Ravener for the seat being vacated by Rep. Brandon […]
Federal suits allege age discrimination by Knox County Criminal Court Clerk
A Knox County elected official used the COVID pandemic as an excuse to purge his office of older women he replaced with young women he met at “local bars and entertainment establishments,” two federal lawsuits allege. Kathy Diane Lewis, 63, and Christine Dumais, 64, are suing Knox County in U.S. District Court over alleged age […]
Stalled U.S. Senate bill on veterans’ burn pit exposure could be revived this week
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate could be on track to advance a bill as soon as Tuesday that would provide veterans exposed to toxic substances overseas with health care and benefits, after a weekend in which outraged veterans camped out on the steps of the Capitol to protest a delay in the legislation. A Senate […]
Putnam County judge suspended for remainder of term after inappropriate conduct
A Middle Tennessee judge who solicited sex from a married woman whose husband was seeking his judicial approval of an adoption has been suspended from the bench for the remainder of his term. The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct, which polices judges, announced late Friday the suspension from the bench of 13th Judicial District Circuit […]
Congress mostly silent as states struggle to contain monkeypox
WASHINGTON — Two months after doctors diagnosed the first case of monkeypox in the United States, Congress has yet to hold a hearing, or give any significant attention to the painful and debilitating virus that’s spread to more than 4,600 people. Public health officials in the Biden administration have held several briefings, expanded testing capacity […]