Tennessee receives first-ever ‘incomplete’ grade for disability services
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Tennessee Disability Coalition issued the state its first-ever “incomplete” grade for progress in helping constituents with disabilities, citing federal cuts and uncertainty about future funding. The coalition evaluates Tennessee annually across categories, including healthcare access,...
Five Impaired Drivers Arrested At Rutherford County Sobriety Checkpoint
Rutherford County Traffic Safety Task Force members teamed up to remove five impaired drivers off the streets during a sobriety checkpoint Friday on Rutherford Boulevard in Murfreesboro. Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Shawn Boyd said the checkpoint was designed to remind drivers not to drive impaired. Troopers, police...
‘We don’t pay them enough: ‘ Rutherford County debates mental health days for teachers
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WZTV) — A recent Rutherford County School Board meeting has sparked renewed discussion about how the district supports teachers, particularly when it comes to mental health. The conversation, which centered on whether mental health days should be allowed as an excused absence, drew strong...
TN lawmaker introduces bill allowing pregnant people to get ‘disabled driver’ placard
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A member of the Tennessee House of Representatives introduced a bill that would allow a pregnant person to get a 'disabled driver' placard. Rep. Gino Bulso (R- Brentwood) filed HB 1457 for introduction on Dec. 15. If passed, it would allow a person who is in...
Despite improvements, DCS continues to fail Tennessee children, audit finds
An audit by the Tennessee Comptroller outlines new and persistent failures in caring for abused and neglected children taken into custody by the Department of Children’s Services. Tennessee’s child welfare agency has fallen under scrutiny in recent years over reports of children forced to sleep on office floors, lax...
Dying inmate asks for mercy to let him spend final months at home; DA...
Gerald D. Thomas is appealing for end-of-life release due to cancer, but is facing opposition from the DA, citing his criminal past and the brutality of the crime. A Tennessee inmate serving decades for a murder his lawyer says he didn't commit is making an end-of-life appeal to spend his final days outside prison...
Woman wanted in TN deadly crash may be traveling to Oklahoma, police say
Police in Tennessee are searching for a woman who has reportedly fled the state and is wanted in connection with a deadly crash.
Almost 60 years ago, a court case at TSU transformed Tennessee higher education
This story was produced by the Tennessee Lookout and WPLN News, with support from the Pulitzer Center and the Education Writers Association. Less than two months after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, a Black law student in Nashville named Rita Geier set off a series of events that ultimately...
Tennessee Regional Haze Plan Gets EPA Green Light, Emissions to Drop Sharply
- Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved Tennessee’s Second Planning Period Regional Haze Plan, determining the state meets all Clean Air Act and Regional Haze Rule requirements. The plan is expected to significantly improve visibility in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Joyce...
Efficient Response by Murfreesboro Firefighters Averts Major Fire at Krystal Restaurant
A fire at the Krystal fast food restaurant in Murfreesboro, initially thought to have the potential for significant damage, was swiftly contained thanks to the quick response of local firefighters last Friday. According to a WSMV report, the Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department (MFRD) extinguished a kitchen fryer fire...
