NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The following may be attributed to TEA President Tanya T. Coats, a veteran Knox County educator: “The passage of universal vouchers makes clear that the state wishes to provide maximum flexibility to meet the needs of each individual child; therefore, we look forward to working with the General Assembly to provide public schools with the same freedom to teach children that private schools currently enjoy. Ensuring that all schools receiving taxpayer support are judged on a level playing field should be a top priority for lawmakers, and we trust there will be no double standard with respect…
Author: Tribune Staff
(New York, NY – February 20, 2025) – As the global community continues to celebrate the legacy of James Baldwin, The Town Hall presented a program devoted to one of the most enduring debates in American and World History during Black History Month. The Town Hall celebrates James Baldwin and the 60th anniversary of the Baldwin/Buckley Cambridge debate with the highly anticipated New York premiere of the chamber opera, THE TONGUE & THE LASH by the creative team of Damien Sneed, composer/conductor and Karen Chilton, librettist, with direction by world-renowned mezzo-soprano, Denyce Graves-Montgomery, who made both her Town Hall and…
A significant milestone has been reached in the commitment to enhancing educational opportunities for students. Southwest Tennessee Community College and LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC) have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking the beginning of a transformative partnership. Southwest President Dr. Tracy D. Hall and LOC President Dr. Christopher B. Davis signed the agreement on Jan. 23 during a ceremony on Southwest’s Macon Cove campus. The collaboration between the two colleges is designed to provide students with seamless pathways to higher education and career success. By working together, both institutions aim to create a more integrated and supportive academic environment.…
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is reportedly firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration employees, according to multiple reports and the FAA workers’ union, even as fatal plane crashes continue to mount under President Donald Trump’s administration — including one as recently as Saturday. “The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, one air traffic controller told the Associated Press,” the AP reported. The firings also come as the FAA is without a Senate-confirmed administrator, after Musk called for him to resign. In 2023, Michael Whitaker had been confirmed unanimously, 98-0. The terminations of what are called…
Dear editor, In one of Donald Trump’s first acts in office, he stripped away protections for schools, hospitals, and places of worship from immigration enforcement. These were once safe spaces where people could learn, receive health care, and pray without fear. Now they have been turned into targets for ICE raids. This is unconscionable. As the world’s largest historical climate polluter, the United States has a responsibility to immigrants. Our pollution is causing the climate chaos — droughts, floods, hurricanes, rising waters — that is forcing people in Latin America, Asia, Africa and elsewhere to leave their homes. Others are…
Marc H. Morial President and CEO National Urban League “Presidents Trump and Musk and their billionaire buddies are so detached from how Americans live that they cannot see how ending public education and canceling these contracts kills the American Dream. This is not about Democrats versus Republicans. This is about billionaires versus the middle class. If kids from working class families do not have access to schools, how can they build a future?” — U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro The Elon Musk-led slash-and-burn squad euphemistically known as the Department of Government Efficiency has revoked the contracts of researchers who are years…
Franklin, Tenn. — Williamson County Public Library System is excited to announce the arrival of Whazoodle, a new collection of screen-free, all-audio speakers designed for young children (ages 3-12). Available at all library locations, Whazoodle offers 3 distinct modes geared towards literacy, movement and creativity. Parents can feel confident knowing their children are engaging with high-quality, age-appropriate content in a safe and easy-to-use format. “We are eager to introduce Whazoodles, an all audio device to our collection, giving families another valuable tool to support early learning and development,” said Library Director, Jessica Jeffers. “These devices align with our mission to…
They are a powerful group of women. An international organization, the membership is made up of women from all denominations and all walks of life. They have been in existence since 1941and their weapons of choice are prayer, advocacy, and action. For over 80 years, they have recognized the value of diversity, and their mission is to empower women to work towards a world of peace and justice. They advocate for issues that affect human dignity; the current issues of homelessness and immigration are the battlegrounds upon which they have taken a stance. The Knoxville Chapter meets monthly and to…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEsMLY021LI
PRINCETON. NJ (FEB. 13, 2025) — The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Board of Trustees announced today that it has elected two new Trustees, Daniel Dawes, JD, and Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, effective April 22, 2025. Dawes currently serves as senior vice president of global health at Meharry Medical College and is the founding dean of the School of Global Health. He is a healthcare and public health leader, health policy expert, educator, author, and researcher. Dr. Ferrer is the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. She has decades of experience as a public health director, educational…