Nashville, TN (TN Tribune) This year has been tumultuous for us all. Unemployment, a global pandemic, and civil unrest have taken a toll, but for Nic King, it was the catalyst for his company – Proud Puffs – chocolate-flavored cereal formed in the shape of a fist. One early morning following the protests in Minneapolis this past spring, King searched for Black-owned cereal companies and found none. At 3 am his idea was formed with a bit of divine inspiration. “I’m a man of faith, so I said, ‘God, this is your idea. I have nothing to do with it.…
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee continues efforts to administer COVID-19 vaccinations as described in the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. Tennessee county health department staff members administered more than 25,000 COVID-19 vaccinations during the New Year weekend, and more than 157,000 total vaccinations have been administered statewide to date. “We are pleased with the overwhelming interest Tennesseans are showing in receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, and are working as quickly as possible to provide vaccinations as we receive additional shipments of vaccines,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “Some Tennesseans are now receiving their second doses of vaccine as well, so…
NASHVILLE – The city has received $1.5 million dollars in federal money to shorten commutes on one of Nashville’s busiest roads less than a month after Metro Council adopted Nashville’s Transportation Plan. Nashville received a U.S. Department of Transportation award on Thursday, one of only 10 communities to receive a grant for advanced transportation and congestion management technology projects across the U.S. “We know an adopted transportation plan is the key to winning state and federal transportation dollars,” Mayor John Cooper said. “Today’s grant is an early step toward paying for up to sixty percent of Nashville’s Plan with state…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Education hopes a new literacy initiative will help teachers and school districts reach struggling readers. Officials plan to spend $100 million on “Reading 360,” which was launched Monday across the state, The Tennessean reported. Before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered classrooms, only about 36% of Tennessee’s third graders could read on grade level and educators anticipate struggling students will have fallen further behind. The new phonics-based reading program provides optional training and materials for school districts and resources for parents. It also gives districts access to grants to support tutoring programs and provide…
NASHVILLE, TN — Kwame Leo Lillard was the younger of two children born in Bartow, FL with a few grades completed there for schooling. With the entrepreneurial spirit in tow for a larger city, his mother and father chose Nashville to fulfill the calling to further the opportunity for business. With the burgeoning growth of Music City, his parents garnered customers for both cosmetology and upholstery, but Leo adored the bustling cohesive nature of the Black community. This was the impetus of the young mind for Leo, learning all the intricacies of networking in Nashville’s Black Community by attending schools…
By Peter White NASHVILLE, TN – COVID-19 testing from mid-August to early December did little to stop a tidal wave of coronavirus from sweeping across Tennessee. By Christmas, Tennessee had the most infections per capita in the U.S. and on the national map the state was colored a deep red. It still is red. Known cases are going up. The average number of new cases in Tennessee reached 6,166 January 2, 2021, a 38 percent increase from the day before. Since January 2020, at least 1 in 12 people who live in Tennessee have been infected, and at least 1 in 989 have died, according to the New York…
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn and Senator-elect Bill Hagerty have announced they will vote to oppose the Electoral College results of the 2020 presidential election. Blackburn and Hagerty will be joined by nine other senators and senator-elects, including Texas senator Ted Cruz. They are calling for Congress to appoint an electoral commission to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election results in states where the Trump campaign has disputed the results. The group claims the 2020 election featured “unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities,” despite the fact…
NASHVILLE – Today Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-05) was sworn-in to serve in the 117th United States Congress. Shortly after being sworn-in, Cooper re-introduced the following three bills to ensure the voting process is fair and equitable for all Americans. Cooper once again introduced the John Tanner Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act. Named for former Congressman John Tanner, a Tennessean who championed the measure for many years before his retirement from the House in 2010, the bill eliminates partisan gerrymandering from the congressional redistricting process by requiring each state to establish an independent, bipartisan redistricting commission to redraw congressional district…
By Phillip M. Bailey Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called out President Donald Trump during a campaign rally on Sunday for pressuring Georgia’s secretary of state to change the 2020 election results. “Have y’all heard about that recorded conversation? Well, it was certainly the voice of desperation, most certainly that,” Harris told onlookers during a drive-in rally in Savannah, Georgia. “And it was a bald-faced, bold abuse of power by the president of the United States.” During an hour-long conversation on Saturday with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, the president repeatedly asked for the state election official to “find” enough votes to reverse his loss…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville Electric Service (NES) knows the city of Nashville continues to battle tough times. With the COVID-19 pandemic, tornadoes, derecho windstorms and now a downtown explosion that has severely impacted several businesses, NES wants customers to know it cares. NES is ceasing disconnections for non-payment through Jan. 31. In addition, NES is waiving reconnection fees through Feb. 28. Any customers needing help paying their bills are encouraged to visit www.neshelps.com to apply for assistance. NeedLink is also taking applications for assistance at www.needlink.org and has streamlined the process to minimize the wait time for approval. Those 75…