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Lawsuit: feds probing Johnson City Police over serial rapist cover-up allegations
The Johnson City Police Department is the subject of a federal public corruption probe related to its handling of an alleged serial rapist, new filings in an ongoing class action lawsuit indicate. Attorneys representing women who say police conspired to protect their assailant have turned over 520 pages of emails and attachments to the “prosecution […]
Juvenile sentencing bill in Tennessee House sparks constitutional questions
A get-tough-on-juvenile-crime bill is raising concerns among Tennessee juvenile judges, advocates and attorneys, who call portions of the measure “likely unconstitutional.” The House bill from Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton of Crossville could stack up to five years in adult prison on top of a juvenile sentence for kids as young as 14 who have […]
Remembering the Covenant School victims one year later
Wednesday marked the first anniversary of a mass shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School in which three adults and three children were killed before police killed the shooter. Nashvillians commemorated the day in vigils both private and public, the largest of which was the “Linking Arms for Change” event, in which thousands of people lined up, […]
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene files resolution to oust Mike Johnson as U.S. House speaker
Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a resolution Friday to remove U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from his position, using the same parliamentary measure that led to Johnson ascending to the speakership last year. Following a bipartisan vote to approve the six remaining government spending bills for fiscal 2024, Greene filed a motion […]
Senate approves bill establishing a right to foster, adopt by anti-LGBTQ parents in Tennessee
A bill that could lead to LGBTQ youth being placed in families with moral or religious objections to their sexual orientation or gender identity was approved by the Tennessee Senate on Tuesday. The Tennessee Foster and Adoptive Parent Protection Act would prohibit the Department of Children’s Services from excluding parents who have moral or religious […]
Anderson County man keeps the history of Claxton and TVA’s role in development
East Tennessee is the heart of energy research and development for the country, and as this part of central Appalachia has altered for the federal government, its communities have both benefited and paid the price. Self-taught historian Leo York has worked to keep account of those impacts to his East Tennessee community and family. “I […]
Tennessee school voucher bill clears two more legislative hurdles after contentious debate
(This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters) Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free daily newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools. Gov. Bill Lee’s proposal to create a statewide school voucher program easily cleared its first Senate hurdle Wednesday, but took a split […]
Federal judge green-lights victims’ class action lawsuit against Johnson City, police
This story has been updated with a statement from Johnson City. A federal judge has greenlit a class action lawsuit against Johnson City and its police force that makes explosive allegations that some cops took bribes and turned the other way while a serial rapist assaulted scores of women and at least two children. The […]
Stockard on the Stump: Pulling out all the stops to avert a Tennessee voucher disaster
The new voucher bills are here. The new voucher bills are here. Nobody uses phone books anymore, so we’re stuck with the highly-anticipated private-school voucher bills. And guess what, they’re all different. Yes, we have three versions of voucher bills: a grand vision from the House in the form of an omnibus bill (dropping any […]
Economist Art Laffer on collision course with Tennessee mayors over tax measure
A battle is brewing in the General Assembly over caps on county property taxes. Economist Art Laffer, an advisor to multiple Republican presidents, is pushing lawmakers to prevent large one-time county property taxes increases that he says stunt growth. In contrast, county mayors across Tennessee say a cap could hamstring them as they try to […]
New Hampshire bill aims to prevent more ‘horrifying’ treatment of children in state placement
(This story was first published in the Lookout’s sister publication, the New Hampshire Bulletin.) Details of what the Office of the Child Advocate called “horrifying” abuse and neglect of two New Hampshire boys placed by the state in a Tennessee youth facility are behind legislation that would require the state to substantially increase its supervision […]
U.S. Senate advances $95.3 billion bill that includes emergency funding for Ukraine, Israel
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate moved past a procedural hurdle Thursday to begin work on a $95 billion emergency spending bill that would provide military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The strong 67-32 vote, which could predict eventual approval, came after a tense week on Capitol Hill that began Sunday evening when […]