Political stories for Southern Middle Tennessee.
Local leaders are praising the state for including $42.4 million in the approved 2021-22 budget to build a new Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville campus in 231 North Business Park. TCAT-Shelbyville currently has a waiting list of 550 students, primarily because of space limitations at its flagship facility on Madison Street in Shelbyville. The new …
Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill that would put public schools and districts at risk of civil lawsuits if they let transgender students or employees use multi-person bathrooms or locker rooms that do not reflect their gender at birth. The state Senate voted 21-7 Wednesday in favor of the legislation. The House passed a slightly …
At its last regular board meeting the Tullahoma Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted on first reading to raise the pay of the board. Mayoral and aldermanic salaries would go up if approved after the next alderman race. The mayor’s annual salary would go up from $9,400 to $15,000 and each alderman’s salary going up …
More Pay for Tullahoma Mayor and Aldermen if Approved Read More »
For rural Tennesseans, the cash-bail system has accelerated an endless cycle of arrests, excessively high bonds and incarceration, in communities already grappling with a substance-abuse epidemic and shrinking local economies. According to a Vera Institute of Justice study, pre-trial incarcerations have jumped by 163% in the 53 rural Tennessee counties, compared with a 2% increase in …
Rural TN Communities Trapped in Cash-Bail System Read More »
A Tennessee bill requiring school districts to alert parents of any instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity and let them opt their student out is heading to Republican Gov. Bill Lee. The legislation cleared its last hurdle in the GOP-supermajority Legislature with a 64-23 House vote Wednesday. The Senate approved the bill last week. …
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is proposing a $100 million, two-week sales tax holiday on restaurants, bars and groceries, as his administration looks to divvy up hundreds of millions of dollars in extra spending due to better-than-expected revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, the Republican’s finance team presented a budget amendment to his $42 billion …
Gov Lee wants Two-Week Sales Tax Holiday on Restaurants, Bars and Groceries Read More »
Bonnaroo is moving to Manchester. You might say to yourself, it’s always been in Manchester, right? Technically it is held on a farm in Coffee County just outside the city limits. The Manchester Board of Mayor and Alderman on Tuesday night approved a resolution to annex the land where Bonnaroo is held. Alderman Ryan French …
Correction: Only One Vote Needed; Manchester Votes to Annex ‘The Farm’ (Bonnaroo) Read More »
Amtrak says a new route in its long-range plans would connect Savannah, Georgia to Nashville, Tennessee with stops in Atlanta and Chattanooga. The map shows the rail running through Manchester as it makes its way to and from Nashville. The routes are among several nationwide proposed by Amtrak after President Joe Biden announced his sweeping …
Amtrak’s 2035 plan would bring Train through Local Area Read More »
Tennessee state lawmakers passed a bill Monday that would prohibit transgender middle and high school athletes from participating in sports based on their gender identity. The Tennessee House approved the measure in a 71–16 vote. The legislation was approved by the Senate earlier this month. The bill “requires, for the purposes of participation in a middle school or …
New Bill Blocks Transgender Students from Playing Sports in Middle and High Schools Read More »
By Iska Hoole, Legal Aid Society Not everyone can relate to the challenges of people with criminal records or view them as a vulnerable population. Their struggles often go unseen or are misunderstood. Some Tennesseans may not realize that they themselves are likely to have a neighbor, co-worker, friend or family member with a criminal …
A Legal Helping Hand for People With Criminal Records Read More »
