Major League Baseball (MLB) forever changed for the better on April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the league’s color barrier. The league — along with its fans — celebrates that transformation, which arrives in 2025 on Tuesday as a reminder of Robinson’s pioneering efforts away from the diamond, in addition to his supreme talent on the field. After serving with the United States Army from 1942 to 1944 during World War II, Robinson returned to the United States for his lone season with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945, during which he tallied 13 doubles and four home runs to…
Author: Tribune Staff
In Tennessee, about 1 in 28 (3.6%) of 4-year-old children and about 1 in 29 (3.4%) of 8-year-old children were identified with autism spectrum disorder by the Tennessee Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers, as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) network, have reported an increase in the number of children in Tennessee and the U.S. with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The findings, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report series on April 15, document that over 3% of children in the state (1…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. April 15, 2025 – Those in need of a screening for sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, can receive a free screening at the Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) on Thursday, April 17th and Friday, April 18th. The free screenings are being offered as part of STI Awareness week, a yearly observance highlighting STIs and their risk to the community. STI Awareness Week runs from April 13th through the 19th. “Testing, investigating and treating Sexually Transmitted Infections is one way the Metro Public Health Department works to prevent the spread of such infections, and thus protect the health of our residents as…
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – In the next few weeks, the brood of periodical cicadas that last emerged in 2008 will be singing and looking for mates before laying their eggs for the next emergence in 17 years. The 17-year periodical cicadas of Brood XIV will begin to emerge when the soil temperature at 8 inches deep reaches 64 degrees, which is estimated to be in late April to early May. Brood XIX of the 13-year periodic cicadas had a spectacular emergence in 2024 in middle and southeastern Tennessee. However, Brood XIV is expected to have a statewide coverage. Based on the…
NASHVILLE, TN – Tennessee faith leaders are reeling today after the state Senate voted to pass a bill to deny K-12 education to children based on immigration status. They urge fellow Christians to take action to help stop the bill before next week’s House subcommittee vote. The Southern Christian Coalition released the following statement in response to the Senate’s vote: “As Christians, we are called to defend the vulnerable, especially children. This bill flies in the face of Christian values; Sen. Watson and Rep. Lamberth are using this legislation to attack children, when we should be loving and supporting them. …
(Nashville, Tennessee ) attorneys for Tennessee death row prisoners Oscar Smith and Byron Black asked Governor Bill Lee to issue a reprieve preventing the State from conducting any executions while the courts are assessing the constitutionality of its new lethal injection protocol. Mr. Smith is scheduled to be executed on May 22 and Mr. Black Byron August 5. The Reprieve Letter, which was submitted to Governor Lee , states: “[Oscar] Smith was preparing to accept communion when you courageously and correctly halted his execution on April 21, 2022. After learning that members of your department of correction had failed to…
Pikeville, Tenn. – This week, Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee distributed 1,915 total pairs of shoes to students in Bledsoe County in partnership with Samaritan’s Feet International. The First Lady’s initiative, Tennessee Serves, and nonprofit, Samaritan’s Feet International, hosted distribution events at schools across Pikeville to provide a brand-new pair of shoes and socks to every student in the Bledsoe County School district. “It was a gift to spend time in Bledsoe County this week as we served this remarkable community with the help of so many volunteers,” said First Lady Maria Lee. “It is our prayer that these shoes…
As African-American leaders, advocates, and people of faith, we condemn HB 793/SB 836. Sponsored by Majority Leader William Lamberth and Senator Bo Watson, the bill will deny undocumented children access to a public education. The legislation is unconstitutional (illegal) as determined in the Plyler v. Doe (1982) case. It is a modern form of racial segregation, or Jim Crow as it was referred to years ago, that clearly targets Latino immigrant families. HB 793/SB 836 does more than punish undocumented children. It effectively de-certifies the citizenship rights of documented and second-generation children from mixed-status families (composed of documented and undocumented …
Clinton, New York – Former President Barack Obama did not mince words on Thursday, April 3, when addressing the stark differences in how his administration was scrutinized compared to President Donald Trump’s current leadership approach. Speaking at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, Obama delivered pointed remarks about what he sees as a troubling double standard. “It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me or a whole bunch of my predecessors,” said Obama to applause from the audience during a speech where attendees were prohibited from recording. The former president’s comments, detailed…
NASHVILLE, TN – The Ninth Annual Harry T. Burleigh Spirituals Festival Scholarship Concert will take place on Monday, April 14th at 7:30 p.m. at the Laura Turner Concert Hall in the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Presented by the Tennessee State University Department of Music and Big Blue Opera Initiatives (BBOI), in collaboration with the Nashville Black Music Association (NBMA), Burleigh Legacy Alliance of Erie, PA, and the Nashville Symphony, this special event honors the rich legacy of African American music and culture as well as raising funds to support deserving students. This year’s concert, themed “Sankofa Sonority: Sounds of Our History,…